Vanquished Revenants
by Aferus
Summary: The third and final story of The Phantom Trilogy. Set two years after the events on Island M, Spider-Man reunites with an old friend, Agent Coulson, who warns of a pending attack from the Reaper and his forces on Asteroid M. With the aid of Phantom and Specter Haven, Peter reunites with his old team and his beloved Ava, helping to save the world one last time and stop Reaper.
1. Prologue: What Once Was

_**Ultimate Spider-Man: Vanquished Revenants**_

* * *

 **Disclaimer** **:** I do not own the Ultimate Spider-Man™ series, Ultimate Spider-Man™ is the sole trademark of Marvel Animation Inc./Marvel Studios.

 **Foreword** **:** This story is the final installation to the Phantom Trilogy, culminating the events of _Ultimate Spider-Man: The Phantom_ and _Ultimate Spider-Man: Specter Haven_. For those who haven't read the first two, this story chronicles the story of my OC, the Phantom, and his involvement with Spider-Man and his team. The story itself isn't canon to any storyline and everything that's happening and will happen is all based off my own imagination and the collective suggestions from the community. **It's recommended that you read the first two stories before proceeding with this one** , but I won't stop you from reading on further! :D I hope I deliver a memorable finale to the trilogy with this one and I thank you all for your support and feedback!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

 _ **Prologue: What Once Was...**_

 _Midnight in New York City... (Spider-Man's point-of-view)_

Heavy rain was pouring over the city that never sleeps. Traffic was locked up on the main streets of Manhattan, tourists were out and about leaving some big show on Broadway, going back to their hotels, and locals were leaving the bars before last call.

Life had returned to a state of normality after the events that transpired two years prior, where a mercenary army led by Taskmaster tore through the streets of Manhattan in an attempt to seize control and take hostage thousands of innocent men, women, and children in order to force S.H.I.E.L.D. to disband. This act of terrorism left an unforgettable scar on the memories of those who were there when it happened.

To this day, they were still searching for the lost, most having lost hope in an attempt to move on. They tried their best to do so, to move on from the Manhattan Incident and from the September 11 Attacks. This built on their resolve as a hardy culture, the culture of New York City.

On this particular rainy day, a woman working at a law firm down the street from Daily Bugle Communications walked out from the first floor of the firm's offices after a long night working an important embezzlement case.

She was young, of Asian origin, had long black hair, and wore a professional dress and black closed toe high heel shoes. She walked out into the rain and quickly pulled up her black umbrella, opening it up to protect herself from getting drenched. Not owning a car, she began walking back home, which was a few blocks south along a busy street.

As she passed the offices of Daily Bugle Communications, a late night special with J.J. Jameson appeared on the large television screen that overlooked the street. The woman looked up at the funny-mustached reporter, hearing the news report he had to give.

"…In recent news, the heads of the United Nations has called for a resolution between global protection agency, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the militarized organization known as R.O.G.U.E., whom former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have defected towards in an act of defiance towards the agency's policies on Mutants. The United States government has been appointed as the mediator to find a peaceful resolution to this conflict and to bring to an end to R.O.G.U.E.'s military operations against S.H.I.E.L.D. overseas…"

The woman walked on by, having bigger issues to worry about than a civil war within S.H.I.E.L.D. She walked on without a care, not even noticing a rough-looking character begin to follow her from an alleyway she passed by.

Danger loomed her way without her even noticing it. He waited until she turned the corner into an empty back-street, where he rushed in and quickly pushed her into an alleyway, shoving her onto the ground and dropping her purse.

Dazed, the woman looked up at her attacker in time to stare down the barrel of his pistol.

"Give me whatever the fuck you got in your purse!" He yelled at her, pressing the pistol at her head.

"No, no! Please! Don't do this!" She pleaded with tears coming down her face, her nerves exploding in the presence of fear. "Please, just… just take the purse and go!"

She grabbed the purse and pushed it to his feet, trying to crawl back away from him. With his pistol still aimed at her, he crouched down to pick it up and began rummaging it with his spare hand, holding the purse by holding it against his thigh.

The purse came up short, with no cash inside.

"What the hell, bitch?!" He growled, throwing the purse at her. "Where's the money?!"

"Please, just take my cards, there's money on there!"

She broke down, thinking that these were now her final moments, she got on her knees and began to sorrowfully pray.

"God isn't gonna save you here!" He readied to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, something shot out from the rooftop overlooking the alleyway. A white web-like material grabbed hold of the pistol's barrel and forcefully pulled it out of the man's hands.

"What the hell?!" He looked up to the roof.

In a rush of blue and red, a masked superhero jumped down and punched him across his face, knocking him down face-first onto the ground. The mugger got on his hands to try getting back up. But, the masked web-slinger spun his web around his legs, shooting a string of web up to the fire escape above them and pulled the mugger up, having him dangle in the air.

"Argh, damn you, Spider-Man!" The mugger cursed, trying to get the webbing off of his legs but didn't have enough abdominal strength to pull his body up.

"You should think next time before you decide to attack people this time of the night, man." Spidey advised him, making a small chuckle. "Also, you should **probably** apologize to the lady here. She didn't deserve to be called all those rude things by you."

"Fuck off." The mugger simply answered.

Spidey shook his head and aimed up to web-shoot the mugger on the mouth, forcing him to shout back in muffled noises. The web-slinger turned his attention to the young woman, reaching his hand out to help her back on her feet.

"You okay?" He asked with a tone of concern.

"I'm fine, thanks, Spidey." She gratefully answered, her hands still shaking. "I'm sorry, just… still nervous."

"You're good." Spidey assured her, patting her on the shoulder. "He's not going to hurt you anymore. The police should be here soon, they usually patrol by this street a couple times every hour. They'll book him before the night's over."

"Okay, good." She smiled, trying to finally breathe after the ordeal.

"Alright, well… try not to stray into empty streets when you're out so late at night. A can of pepper spray usually does the trick."

"Will do, Spidey."

"Have a good night." He bid her farewell, shooting up onto the nearby building across the street and pulled himself up, disappearing into the skies.

He web-swung across the rainy city, keeping an eye out for any more distressed citizens, making his way towards the Chrysler Building, swinging himself up towards one of the stone eagles, and taking a breather once he landed on-top of them. The rain began to clear up, pass by as he sat down and stared across the entire island of Manhattan, looking across both ends of the Hudson at the extended New York City area.

Once it was dry enough, he pulled out his cellphone from one of his pockets on his belt, looking through his pictures, and taking a step through memory lane as he saw old pictures of him and Tiger, having fun taking down the bad-guys, hanging out around his place, and spending time with each other, and with the rest of his team. The team he had come to miss so much.

He sighed.

 **I can't believe it's been two years already. Two years since I last saw my old team…**

 **Not a day goes by where I haven't thought about them and where S.H.I.E.L.D. might've taken them. I wish I had fought them, I wish I had done something to make sure the team hadn't split.**

 **Oh wait, I had almost forgotten that some of you might be lost in the sauce right now trying to figure out what's happened with me and why my kick-ass superhero team isn't around. Let me put my sorrow on hold and let me explain what's been going on!**

 **Hmm… well, where do I start?**

 **It wouldn't be a story if we didn't start at the beginning, right? So, let's wind the clock back two years. I had recently come into leading a teenage superhero team at the request of S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury. I mean, I had only just begun to use my powers a year earlier, so leading a team of newbies was** _ **definitely**_ **not on my agenda. It really threw me by surprise!**

He swiped his thumb on his phone, turning to a picture of a tall dark-skinned teen with short black hair, wearing a black and yellow suit with matching bracers on his forearms, and dark shades covering his eyes. He was standing with his arms crossed next to a downed stack of training bots in what appeared to be the helicarrier's training room, slyly grinning.

 **There was Luke Cage, Power Man, one of the chilliest and most charismatic superheroes I've come to fight alongside. The guy had superhuman strength and indestructible skin, making him the toughest muscle of the team when we fought against the bad guys. He had a great character and was always the voice of reason whenever the team had an issue. I miss the big guy, a lot. I regret never taking up on his offer to go on an actual training exercise with him.**

Swiping to the next picture, he came across a long blond haired light-skinned teen in a green suit with a black dragon design on his chest, his hands and forearms exposed. The top half of his head was covered in a yellow mask that had sashes coming down the back of his head. He was sitting on top of a red carpet, seeming to be meditating with incense sticks around him in a stone room.

 **We had Danny Rand, the Iron Fist, whom we always referred to as "the human fortune cookie", which referred to his calm and serene style of speaking that was always accompanied by a phrase or advice about life. He had the obvious ability to deliver some of the hardest and most powerful punches that would even make Rocky run in terror. However strong Danny was, he was always so calm, preferring diplomacy before violence, and emphasized the art of meditation. I swear, I still smell his incense burning somewhere in my living room from all those meditation sessions.**

The next picture had a black-armored teen with a gold helmet crested with a red star-like burst design on the front. The armor itself had three golden discs crossing from his chest and to his abdomen. He looked like he was trying to blast away whoever had taken the picture.

 **Of course, I can't forget Sam Alexander, who we all knew as Nova. If his obnoxious and sarcastic humor didn't precede him, the fact that he was the last living member of the Nova Corps would. The bucket-head always took every opportunity to show the team that he was fit to lead them before me. Truth be told, he had it in him. But, I would never tell him that, it would get to his head. All in all, I miss his humor the most. The guy knew how to brighten up a serious situation.**

His heart dropped as he swiped to the next picture, which displayed a fit female teenager in a white skin-tight suit that covered her entire body. It had black tiger-stripe designs on her sides and her mask covered her whole head, leaving an opening in the back for her long and sleek black hair and yellow visor openings for her eyes. She looked like she had taken a selfie being held by the web-slinger swinging across the city.

 **Last… but definitely not least… there was Ava Ayala, White Tiger. She was passed on the mantle of the White Tiger by her father, Hector Ayala, who had used an ancient relic known as the Jade Tiger Amulet to keep the wild primal powers of the White Tiger in-check. She was a fierce and agile fighter. As passionate as she was about being the best out of all of us, she cared a lot about me… about us. She and I… we had something really special. I miss her…**

 **After several battles and adventures against bad guys like Kraven the Hunter, The Beetle, Doc Ock, Trapster, The Frightful Four, Green Goblin, and other weirdoes, ol' Nick Fury had finally gotten us a special assignment we couldn't turn down.**

Swiping by the pictures, he found an old one of the team on-board a Quinjet en-route to the Amazon to investigate the S.H.I.E.L.D. Archive. He had taken it shortly after take-off and he could see Nova playing on his hand-held device, Iron Fist meditating, White Tiger studying for her class, and Power Man taking a nap in his pilot seat.

 **We were sent to check-out this secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base they called "The Archive". It had gone dark and nobody was hearing back from the agents stationed there. Once we arrived, we got ambushed by Taskmaster and his mercenaries. With a wild fight in the jungle, we got cornered. But, we were saved by this mutate known as "Phantom", who was a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.**

Spidey put away his phone, standing back up on the stone eagle and looking down at the streets below. He tuned in to his earpiece, listening to the police scanner that he had installed on his suit's technical gear. With the police chatter dying down, it seems like his night was over, and he was ready to head back home. He shot up a string of web and jumped off, heading back down to his apartment in Gramercy.

 **2:05AM, well at least I'll be able to get some sleep in before heading back to work tomorrow morning. MJ was able to get me a gig working as the mail-boy at Daily Bugle Communications. It isn't big money but it's a job. Harry offered something else but I'd rather not work around all those corporate suits and end up like him… or his father.**

 **Anyway…**

 **After saving us and stowing himself on our Quinjet back to New York, we find out from Fury that he was part of an experiment known as Project Vitruvian. Its purpose was to create the "perfect infiltrator mutant", which Phantom had volunteered for back when he worked with S.H.I.E.L.D. The agency however, only gave up scientists for the experiment. Someone** _ **else**_ **was the one behind it all, financially backing it.**

 **After the experiment, Phantom had been given the power of being able to disappear, read minds, and this strange power of walking into the subconscious of those he physically touches. The man was also exceedingly good at hand-to-hand fighting and sword-fighting.**

 **But, the experiment costed him the life he was meant to have with his wife, Maria. With the unknown effects of the experiment, Fury made the call to keep him locked away at The Archive until they figured out how to cure him.**

 **But... the cure never came… and Phantom was locked away for sixteen years.**

Web-swinging through the city, Spidey kept reminiscing on the adventures they had fighting alongside Phantom.

He recalled the moment in time when Phantom discovered that his wife had fallen in love with another man years after he was gone. She had married the man thinking that Phantom had died. On top of all this, Phantom discovered that he had a daughter named Selena with her. This shattered Phantom's heart, causing him to join forces with Taskmaster and Deadpool to help them take over the city with his mercenary army, ransoming the lives of millions of New Yorkers in order to force S.H.I.E.L.D. to disband. It almost worked too… had Phantom not realized that Taskmaster was wrong and left his side.

However, shortly before Phantom returned to the side of the good guys, he was able to frame some bad business on Fury on order of Taskmaster, forcing S.H.I.E.L.D. to arrest Director Fury and keep him behind bars awaiting trial.

 **The media called Taskmaster's occupation of New York City the "Manhattan Incident", since he had only been successful in taking over the island and S.H.I.E.L.D.' s Helicarrier that was stationed there.**

 **It was awful, seeing so many mercenaries march through with giant mechs to back them up. Once we re-grouped up with Phantom, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Avengers, we took the fight to Taskmaster and Deadpool on-board the Helicarrier.**

 **On-board, Taskmaster activated the Helicarrier's nuclear engine set to blow up into the city once he crashed it in the middle of the island. Phantom made the attempt to stop him, but not until Taskmaster told him the truth of who was behind his experiment… Magneto.**

 **Apparently, Magneto was planning to create an army of mutates just like Phantom using the serum that was used in Project Vitruvian, and he was not the only one. There were three others made alongside his in a series of Projects called "Athena-Class".**

 **Phantom and Taskmaster fought until the mercenary was able to slip away, leaving Phantom and my team left to deal with a Helicarrier that was rapidly descending into the city. With little time left, Phantom forced us to bail on the ship, taking the controls himself and plunging it into the Hudson River, where it safely exploded.**

 **We all thought that was the last we saw of Phantom then… But, unfortunately, Taskmaster still made off with a little more than twenty thousand kidnapped New Yorkers, who we never were able to locate again.**

The rain had started to pick back up once the web-slinger reached his small fifth-story apartment. He landed on the building opposite and took a quick look around the empty street to ensure nobody would see him jump through into his window. Taking faith on the emptiness of the street, he web-swung through and opened the window, landing in his small studio apartment.

The single bed was closest to the window with a tall metallic locker facing opposite of it. Across from the bedroom-area was a small stove with two stove-eyes and a sink filled with dishes and a stone countertop that had chipped away from years of neglect.

Perpendicular to the kitchen-area was a small wooden desk and a lockable black metal filing cabinet where Peter kept most of his school work and documents. The door out into the hallway was next to the desk.

Spidey opened up the metallic locker with the combination he had set for it and took off his soaked costume, hanging it up to dry on one of the hangers inside the locker. Tired, he sat down at the foot of his bed in his boxers and stared at the various pictures and news articles pinned to the inside of the locker's walls.

An entire quarter of the locker had pictures of him and Ava when they were together. Most of them were selfies he had printed out and some picture-booth strips that always had the two of them kissing at the end. She had sketched doodles in class with hearts that had **P+A** written on them with cupid's arrow through them.

 **Gosh… How I miss that. I tried to start dating again months after what happened. I even had a thing with MJ again but… nothing's the same. It's hard to move on from somebody you were downright crazy about.**

Further down the locker wall were the pictures Aunt May took at his graduation from Midtown High a little over a year ago. He was in his black graduation gown with his friends Harry and MJ at his side. Another picture had him and Dr. Strange (who had taken up Coulson's spot as Principal of Midtown High) shaking hands at the same graduation.

 **It was definitely weird having Dr. Strange as a Principal. He wasn't as serious or as strict as Coulson but I swear he had an eye on every one of his students in the classrooms,** _ **without**_ **the use of cameras!**

Peter dried his face and body off with a towel he had near his bedside, grabbed his cellphone from his costume and laid down on the semi-comfortable bed, wrapping himself up in the warm black bedspread. He glanced over the red beaming numbers of his digital alarm clock.

 **2:59AM… just six more hours until work.**

He pulled out his cellphone and scrolled through the pictures again.

 **Well, about a month or so after the Manhattan Incident, we run into Phantom again. He returned with a mission to find the other three mutates of the Athena-Class Projects: Project Chronos, Project Vulcan, and Project Orion. He wanted to recruit them into a covert group Phantom called "Specter Haven".**

 **Tiger and I volunteered to help Phantom out in a week-long adventure that took us to the snowy forests of the Yukon in Canada, the graffiti streets of Los Angeles, and the windy city of Chicago, fighting off Magneto's mutants as they tried to extract blood samples from the mutates in order to "perfect" the existing Vitruvian serum.**

 **That's not to mention these freakish creatures that Magneto sent after us. They called them "Wraiths" and they were practically Phantoms on steroids. They disappeared and reappeared and acted like mindless zombies.**

 **Even with Magneto and this mysterious hooded man on our heels, our mission was a success.**

 **From the Yukon, we recruited Bruce Melle, "Wolfe", the subject of Project Orion. He was a vicious sniper and a skilled hunter, being able to detect heat signatures miles away and disappear much like Phantom. A tall bearded man with a salty attitude, Wolfe wasn't exactly a people person. But, the guy had a lot of heart when it counted.**

 **We found Drake Ashbell, "Firewalker", the subject of Project Vulcan, in the streets of Los Angeles. We found him in the middle of a street dance battle and** _ **man**_ **, the guy was good. He was streetwise and clever, using his abilities to ignite into flames and dissipate into smoke to his advantage when maneuvering between his enemies. Firewalker had courage… and was definitely more honorable than people would think.**

 **Lastly, we ran into Carmen Salvador, "White Fox", the tortured subject of Project Chronos, in a family-owned dojo in Chicago. She challenged Phantom to a sword duel that resulted in a draw. Earning Fox's respect, Phantom offered her a place in Specter Haven, seeing that the team would benefit from her combat chameleon fighting styles and the ability to see into the future for anybody besides herself.**

 **I mean, I never asked her to see my future. Maybe she chose who she looked into the future for or something. Even still, I'm pretty sure she started to have feelings for Phantom towards the end. Who knows?**

His eyes started to weigh heavy, inching closer to fully falling asleep. Taking another glance at the alarm clock, he saw that it read 3:05AM.

 **Please… don't let time move on faster.**

 **I almost forgot to mention that Fury was kidnapped by Deadpool earlier on and stashed away into some cave off in Africa or something. I'm not sure… I haven't been in touch with Coulson for a while… not after the division with S.H.I.E.L.D.**

 **S.H.I.E.L.D. split up, by the way. Maria Hill and Phil Coulson had too many disagreements with Special Agent Jasper Sitwell and the way he ran things now that Fury was out of the picture, especially with what he had in store for mutants, none of it good. So, in an extraordinary act of defiance, Hill forced a dividing line, and split the organization into S.H.I.E.L.D. and R.O.G.U.E.**

 **R.O.G.U.E. stands for Renegade Operations Group for Unified Existence. This means they're fighting to coexist with mutants, whom Sitwell was so ready to blame for the Manhattan Incident. Sitwell labeled R.O.G.U.E. as a domestic terrorist organization and was on a witch hunt to sniff them out and eliminate them.**

 **It's the reason why Coulson isn't Principal at Midtown High anymore.**

Pete took a deep yawn.

Slowly succumbing to sleep, he dozed off into a violent dreamscape. He was back on Island M, reliving the invasion alongside the Avengers, the X-Men, and Specter Haven against Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants, as well as facing off the hordes of Wraiths that were unleashed against them.

"Web-head!" Ava's voice echoed in his head. "Don't let the Reaper take hold of you!"

Spidey then began to hear the loud burst of screams ravaging the sound fabric of his dream. From the depths of Magneto's Fortress, a dark hooded entity approached him with bright red glowing eyes glaring at him, two swords in both his blackened hands.

"Reaper…" Spidey balled his fists.

Reaper darkly chuckled. "Wake up, Spider-Man. You're not living the nightmare… just yet."

Another rush of screams ripped the web-slinger's eardrums, forcing him to wake up sweating in his bed. He was gasping for breath and trembling, glancing over at the clock that read 6:04AM.

 **That nightmare's haunted me ever since the battle we fought against Magneto and Reaper on Island M.**

 **That damned battle… It left me traumatized for sure.**

 **After recruiting Specter Haven, we went after Magneto and his hooded ally, Reaper with the full force of R.O.G.U.E., the Avengers, and the X-Men.**

 **Both sides suffered a lot. But, what we ended up discovering at the end of it all was that Reaper was Phantom's alter ego from the future, sent back to ensure that things ended up differently than it did for him and his fellow mutants in his time period.**

 **We were extracted out of danger before we could help Phantom face off with Reaper. I never saw him again. Back in Midtown High, newly appointed Director Sitwell ambushed us in the Principal's office. He threatened to release pictures to the U.S. Government that proved that we were working with Phantom, who was branded a traitorous fugitive at this point after his involvement with Taskmaster in Manhattan.**

 **However, he ensured that wouldn't happen if we gave up Specter Haven's secret hideout, the Sanctuary. It was either that or be forced to have the team split up and sent off to different parts of S.H.I.E.L.D. around the world… never to see each other again.**

 **It was the last time I ever saw Tiger again. Her departure left a huge empty hole in my heart.**

 **I wonder if that nightmare means anything… Eh, it doesn't matter now. I need to get more sleep in before Jameson has my head for not showing up on time.**

 **Maybe it'll be a different day tomorrow… Maybe Ava, Luke, Danny, and Sam will come back and we can get the team back together again, fighting crime like we used to with Fury bossing us over the communicator.**

 **Maybe… Just maybe.**

 **Then again… I've been saying that for about two years now.**

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Well, here we are again, my fellow readers! I know I had planned to write this later on in the year, but I felt it appropriate to jump into the last part of the trilogy before it became too late! This initial prologue chapter was to drop our hero, the web-slinger, into his life two years after the events of _Specter Haven_. His thought paragraphs are to introduce the story to new readers as well as summarize and refresh the events for readers who have already read through.

I planned out the rest of this story accordingly and will do my best this time around to keep the chapters shorter and written fast enough that I can update weekly, maybe more a week if I find the time to. I'm going to do my best now to ensure that this story doesn't go through so many hiatuses as _Specter Haven_ did. So, in the case I run into any issues, I'll make sure to let you guys know well-ahead of time and post a notification on my page.

I can't thank you guys enough for all the support that the trilogy's gotten. I hope with this chapter, I can possibly encourage other readers who have never read my stories to read them.

Apart from all that, I've been in close contact with **Nobel Six** these past several days. I'm closely following and reading his story: _**Trials of the Predator**_ , which I recommend you all to read if you'd like an interesting read! Also, **The Story's Shadow** , I promise to read and review your full story soon enough!

Thanks again for embarking on this last journey with me guys, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am writing it! :D

I'd like to also endorse some stories that I've come across that deserve a look at if you all would be so kind! :) _**Spider of the Round Table**_ by **The Story's Shadow** , _**Child of the Stars and Sea**_ by **Crazydragonlady101** , and _**Runaway Lovers**_ by **crazyfunnygirl**.

 _ **As always, feedback is appreciated!**_

 _ **Stay tuned for Prologue: Fury's Exodus…**_


	2. Prologue: Fury's Exodus

_**Prologue: Fury's Exodus**_

* * *

 _Late evening on Alpha Base, R.O.G.U.E.'s undersea headquarters…_

Special Agent Phil Coulson pressingly walked through the base's hallways, passing through the aesthetic Plexiglas panels that looked out into the stunning aquatic ecosystem that bloomed with fish and other forms of sea-life. He glanced over in time to see a school of fish pass the tubed hallway from above and to the other side.

Coulson held up the manila document folder in his hand, overlooking the red **Top Secret** label and read the vital contents inside. The information held within the document was held at the upmost importance by R.O.G.U.E., knowing that the operation it listed orders for would greatly aid the organization.

He closed the document as he passed by a patrol of armored agents, who properly greeted the senior agent. Coulson nodded in response, greatly noticing the red hawk symbol that stood as R.O.G.U.E.'s banner. The hawk spread both its wings and held a dagger in its right talon.

It was supposed to look fierce enough to counter S.H.I.E.L.D.'s eagle symbol, or so the R.O.G.U.E. specialist that drew up the design thought.

Reaching the Main Conference Room, Coulson looked around the hallways to ensure that nobody followed him or watched him walk into the room. Once clear, Coulson biometrically authenticated himself on the steel door and let it slide open into a darkened room.

The Plexiglas windows were the only source of light from the outside, but it merely only dimmed the room if anything. It was enough for Coulson to see the four specters sitting around the conference table with their hoods up.

"You four part of the mafia, now? We have to meet up like I'm ready to see the Godfather?" Coulson humored them as he calmly placed the document on the metal table.

Firewalker chuckled, leaning close enough to where Coulson could see his devilish grin and black fire-resistant armor. The young man had grown older since Coulson had last seen him, having grown a black-haired goatee, complimenting his mixed-skin complexion.

"We just like to make ourselves look tough, Philly, no need to be afraid." Firewalker joked.

"You're pissing your pants, Coulson?" Wolfe darkly remarked.

Coulson glanced at the hulking armored specter, noticing his bright yellow eyes and distinct grey beard. His fingers tapped the metal on the table, black claws reaching out of each digit that was a part of a larger paw-like hand.

"Hardly, Wolfe. I think Phantom's took me by surprise one too many times for me to be spooked by you guys."

"That's Phantom for you." White Fox agreed, glancing over at her teammate. "It's good to see you again, Coulson."

Coulson smiled and nodded at her, noticing her distinguishable white hood and scarf that covered her neck, her hazel eyes shining brightly through the dim-darkness. She wore a black and white armor-suit almost like Phantom's, but it had fitted her form more tightly, complimenting her curves.

"Likewise, Fox." Coulson turned his attention to Phantom. "I'm glad Specter Haven was able to make it to Alpha Base on such short notice. With everything going on, I hope you four didn't have trouble upon arrival."

"I don't like that we had to leave our weapons at the door." Wolfe disapprovingly grunted.

"It's a security measure we had to put in place for our guests. I know it's an inconvenience but it's necessary."

"Quite." Phantom finally spoke, breaking his silence.

Coulson saw the legendary Phantom sit forward from his relaxed position. His iconic white mask that covered his entire head stood out with his glowing white eyes. They looked threatening, even underneath his black hood. Phantom placed his forearms on the table, brandishing his electrical metal bracers that once served to hinder the mutate when he was locked away so many years ago.

Coulson gave Phantom a friendly smile.

"How have you been, Coulson?" Phantom calmly asked.

"Better, now that we have **this**." Coulson placed his right palm on the folder. " **This** is Operation: **Exodus**."

"Someone's gone biblical…" Wolfe murmured.

Coulson opened up the folder and ensured the entrance was locked. He switched on the hologram projector on the metal table, displaying a glowing globe with R.O.G.U.E.'s symbol in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Alpha Base's location.

"Through constant surveillance and espionage in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operations, we were able to obtain the current location of Nick Fury." Coulson proudly stated, causing Phantom to pay closer attention.

"How can you be sure?" Phantom skeptically asked. "Nobody's been able to locate Fury in two years, not even ourselves."

"It wasn't easy." Coulson sighed. "A lot of our field agents either died or went into hiding to ensure this information made it to us safely."

"I'm sorry." Fox solemnly stated.

"Well, that's why I requested that Maria Hill contact you four for this mission. Specter Haven, R.O.G.U.E. is requesting that you infiltrate the target location and extract Nick Fury from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands."

"We'd be honored." Phantom spoke for the rest of the team. "Give us the details."

Coulson nodded, changing the holographic display to what appeared to be a prison facility in the middle of the desert.

"About a week ago, we received reports that Fury was still alive. It was before we received the confirmation of his location." Coulson explained.

"He survived Deadpool's hideout in Africa?" Phantom curiously asked.

"It appears that Sitwell sent his agents to extract Fury out of there before we had a chance to stop them. Lucky for us, it took an entire company of agents to trial and error through the booby-trapped cave. They were lucky that the entire place didn't cave down on them from so many explosions."

"Did you ever receive any word back from Deadpool?" Fox wondered.

"Negative. He's been off the radar for the past two years, sending us… explicit items in the mail every few months, stating that he misses us."

"Damn. So, what's the sketch here, Coulson? We could rush in, kill a bunch of agents, and get Fury the hell out of there." Firewalker suggested, snapping his fingers and igniting a small flame on his thumb like a lighter.

"No." Coulson shook his head. "I have another idea in mind. As far as the target region goes, our sleeper agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. confirmed that they're holding Fury for interrogation on a camp in Northern Kabul, Afghanistan."

He referred to the holographic display. **Camp Omega-Zero**.

"A military black site…" Phantom pointed out. "Fitting. Without American jurisdiction on S.H.I.E.L.D., they'll kill him and leave his body to the desert without a trace."

"What are they questioning him for?" Wolfe held up his left hand along with the question.

"They **think** that he's been in contact with R.O.G.U.E. since his capture. Apparently, they've moved him over twelve times in the past two years to prevent us from catching a scent of his location. This is the longest they've held him. We can't afford to miss the opportunity."

"What was your other idea, Coulson?" Phantom stood up from his seat, pacing about the hologram with his arms crossed.

"Due to the militaristically sensitive nature of the region, we demand that **only one** individual infiltrate the camp. The other three can provide support at best. But, having more than one specter in the camp will mean bad business should you be detected."

Firewalker laughed. "You think we don't do a good job of staying hidden, Coulson?"

"It's not me. This is coming directly from Director Hill. We can't afford to roll the dice with the likes of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Phantom contemplated his options. He knew the gravity of the mission. He also understood **why** Hill wanted only one person to go. It was risky, even for Specter Haven. With a region like Afghanistan, detection would instantly beckon military action.

He sighed.

Suddenly, a hand softly touched him on his shoulder. He turned to see Fox, looking at him with a worried expression on her face.

"You sure about this, Phantom?" She softly asked.

He studied her expression, calmly nodding before reaching his decision. He turned to Coulson.

"Fine, Coulson. **I'll** be the one to go in and extract Fury. Wolfe will provide sniper support. Firewalker will serve as his spotter. Fox will provide oversight from the extract helicopter."

This brought a smile to Coulson's face. "I don't know how I can thank you enough for accepting these risks, Phantom. We can't provide back-up directly, but we'll be keeping a close eye on your progress."

"That's reassuring." Wolfe grunted.

"Specter Haven, gear up." Phantom ordered. "We're deploying within the hour."

* * *

 _Several hours later…_

 _2300 Hours, Camp Omega-Zero, Northern Kabul, Afghanistan…_

"Shut your damn music on your headphones!" Wolfe angrily barked over the communicator channel. "You're supposed to be my spotter, not a damn DJ!"

"Yo chill, Wolfe, chill. I just got bored is all, calm yourself!" Firewalker whispered in reply. "Jeez…"

"You're going to get us all killed!"

"Yo, Wolfe! What was that? Somethin' just crawled next to my leg!"

"It was probably a camel spider or a scorpion. Just ignore it, for Christ's sake and keep your eyes on the binoculars." Wolfe irritatingly answered.

"A what?!"

"Quiet, you two!" Fox spoke over the chatter. "We're standing by on your mark, Phantom."

"Got it." Phantom calmly replied into his communicator.

He crawled in the prone position through the rocky surface of the desert ground, concealed by his invisibility ability, avoiding detection as he watched a patrol of S.H.I.E.L.D. desert-camouflaged troops march down a nearby dirt road, indicating the camp's proximity. They were armed with modified weaponry, probably designed to effectively kill mutants.

"We're going dark until we hear that you're in position, Phantom." Wolfe spoke over the chatter. "Turning off the transmitter, now."

Once the patrol marched past, Phantom got to his feet and started walking up the hill parallel to the dirt path that the troops were marching down. He could see the light coming from the camp at the horizon of the desert hill.

"How are you holding up, Phantom?" Fox curiously asked over the chatter.

"Almost there, Fox."

"Think we'll find the target here?"

"I damn well hope so. If anybody can bring this S.H.I.E.L.D./R.O.G.U.E. civil war to an end, it would be him."

"What about Spider-Man?"

Phantom sighed.

"We can't go anywhere near the kid after Sitwell took his team away. I've tried to contact him through our mental connection but… something's clouding his mind. Or, maybe the connection's been lost over time."

"Weren't you trying to locate his friends a few months ago?"

"I was but it looks like they don't work for S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. My theory is that they all went dark about a year ago and nobody's seen them since."

"I see. Well… any luck on finding Selena?"

"I…I don't want to talk about this right now, Fox. Ask me again after we save Fury."

"Alright, I'm sorry."

Phantom reached the outer walls to the camp, glancing up at the bright floodlights that illuminated the outside. Guards patrolled the ramparts at the two story high concrete walls with a total of four watchtowers spread across the small camp. Phantom confirmed the site with the **Ω** symbol engraved on the concrete walls.

He crouched down on the ground and spoke into his communicator.

"I'm in front of the prison camp." Phantom confirmed.

"Excellent, Phantom." Fox faintly giggled. "Age hasn't slowed you down, yet."

Wolfe and Firewalker's chuckle was heard over the communicator.

"Very funny." Phantom humored them. "Firewalker, what's the defenses looking like? Any clue on where Fury might be?"

"Well shit, I'll be damned if that place isn't crawling with S.H.I.E.L.D-types, Phantom. There's a lot of small hangar-like buildings, where I'm sure the goons sleep in. Hmm… there's a large satellite dish in the central building. It looks like their headquarters." Firewalker pointed out for him.

Phantom found an area between the floodlights to where there was enough darkness to use his gear to scale the outer wall. He watched and waited until the guards were far away enough to throw his grappling hook.

It hooked onto the edge of the wall and he proceeded to quickly climb up and over onto the rampart. Quickly disappearing out of sight, he discarded the hook and jumped down onto the camp grounds.

It definitely looked like a prison camp. There were rows of cages sprawled out onto this open concrete lot marked with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s insignia in faded white paint. There were transport trucks and S.H.I.E.L.D. armored troops marching about. Phantom evasively walked past the troops, hiding behind crates, cages, and the trucks to avoid his sneaking around from stirring up too much sound.

"So far so good, Phantom." Wolfe whispered over the communicator. "Watch out on the wall closest to you, though. There's a guard about to look down your way."

Phantom glanced up to see the armored guard flash a light down in the area where the specter was crouching, hidden in invisibility. He looked around the area for a brief moment before moving on.

"Close one." Firewalker commented.

Stalking closer to the headquarters building, Phantom noticed that there was several jeeps posted outside the main entrance. They had foreign symbols painted on their sides and dark-skinned soldiers in fatigues and Kevlar on their heads were posted next to them.

"It looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. might've hired foreign paramilitary groups to fight back against the insurgencies in the region." Phantom whispered.

"Sounds like S.H.I.E.L.D.'s neck deep in dirty business, then." Firewalker suggested.

"No telling what they're doing here." Fox added.

"I'm going in." Phantom calmly told them. "Stand-by."

"Don't get killed." Wolfe grunted.

Phantom walked past the front entrance where guards were posted, checking IDs of any individual that entered the heavily secured building. On the other side of the building was lessened security, with only cameras to surveillance the back lot. Phantom grabbed hold of the ledges on the building and began to scale up, finding an open window and poking his head up to look inside.

There was a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and a dark-skinned man wearing a black beret and green fatigues arguing back and forth inside a shabby office-like room with a metal desk. The Caucasian brown-haired agent seemed to be agitated from their conversation.

"For the last time, Mr. Azikiwe, the custody of Nick Fury isn't up for debate. S.H.I.E.L.D. is detaining him until further notice. Those are my orders from the Triskelion." The agent angrily yet politely told the mercenary.

"I do not care about your orders, agent! Deadpool promised us the deliverance of Nick Fury and we arrived to find that he is with you!" Azikiwe angrily yelled at him, his country's accent strong in his voice. "We demand him to be handed to us!"

"We will not hand him over to you. Bring your complaints to the Director Sitwell and the Triskelion if you want results. I can't make that call."

The mercenary was hesitant to respond, giving the agent a deathly glare.

"Fine." Azikiwe finally cracked. "But don't think for a second that Camp Omega-Zero will be out of our sights."

With that final warning, the mercenary marched out of the office. The agent watched him leave, assuring that he was out of range when he grabbed the walkie-talkie from the surface of his desk to radio in to one of his agents.

"Agent Dantes, I need you to make sure Fury's safe and locked up tonight. I'm not too trusting of those African degenerates who are making empty threats at us. Make sure you bring a fresh tray of food to the cellar before you forget. We forgot to feed him."

Phantom lowered himself from the window and scaled over to the corner, where he moved around to the other wall, facing the eastern side of the building. He lowered down until he reached the ground again.

"Looks like they got Fury holed up in the cellar of the building." Phantom spoke over the communicator. "Good call, Firewalker."

"What can I say? It's a gift." Firewalker proudly whispered.

Phantom snuck past what appeared to be a smoking area for the agents in the back lot of the building, discovering a backdoor that led into a small communications room. There was gear set up that was attached to the main satellite dish to keep constant communications with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the region.

He had to stealthily avoid the agents that were operating the equipment along with passing by weapon racks and agents who were being complacent, lazing about and complaining about the heat. Finally, he sensed the mind of Agent Dantes, who he spotted bringing a tray of food through a doorway that led to what he assumed was the cellar.

Phantom followed him through the door, carefully walking down a stone-walled staircase that led into the dark and dim-lit concrete cellar. There were strange crates that were stacked about, each one with the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia marked on them.

He watched the agent turn the corner to a backroom within the cellar.

"Here's your food for the night, Fury." The agent barked as he tossed the tray down to the ground in front of him. "Hope you choke on it, bastard."

The specter approached close enough to see the former director. He looked like he had been severely beaten, wearing a black tank-top, black cargo pants, and boots. His eye patch was missing as well. Phantom couldn't begin to imagine what sort of torture these monsters at S.H.I.E.L.D. did to him.

Fury appeared tired, thirsty, and fatigued beyond measure, his good eye having been severely bruised from being punched in, and both his wrists were chained to a metal rod sticking out of the wall above his head where he sat. He ended up not responding to the agent's food tray.

"What's the matter, Fury? Cat got your tongue?" The agent continued to taunt him.

Phantom slowly walked behind the agent and caught him by surprise. He grabbed him by the shoulders and violently pushed him face-first onto the concrete wall, knocking him out.

"Wh-what? Who's that?" Fury asked around, disoriented and apparently not able to see from his eyes.

Phantom reappeared before him and knelt down to look at him in the eyes.

"Fury, it's me." Phantom calmly spoke, placing a hand on Fury's cheek to have him focus. "I'm here to get you out."

"C-Cruz!" Fury could make out his masked face. "I… I can't… believe…."

Phantom reached down and ripped a piece of his black cloak off, covering up Fury's bad eye, and giving him a temporary eye patch…

"About damn time you show up." Fury grunted. "Where's… where's Parker?"

"We got a lot to catch you up on, Fury."

Phantom grabbed his sword and sliced off the chain that held Fury's wrists. He then grabbed the former director by his arm and lifted him up on his back in a fireman's carry. Fury began to mumble words that Phantom couldn't understand. Nick had obviously become too disoriented to be fully conscious for his rescue.

"I have the target." Phantom spoke into the communicator.

"He's still alive?" Fox asked.

"He's not dead, yet. We'll need an extraction, Fox."

"Not in the middle of the camp, Phantom. You'll need to get Fury out of there."

Phantom could hear footsteps above him from where all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were in the communications room.

"That's not going to be possible, not from here." Phantom answered. "We'll need a diversion to draw the troops out."

"Alert the camp?" Firewalker suggested.

"It's the only way I'll be able to walk out with Fury."

"Coulson's not going to like this." Firewalker chuckled.

"How are you going to escape the actual camp?" Fox skeptically asked. "A diversion will have every gun on that base out and about ready to shoot."

"Let me worry about that. Wolfe, remove the silencer from your sniper rifle and start unloading rounds towards the wall farthest from me."

"On it." Wolfe obeyed.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Phantom." Fox sighed.

"Me too, Fox."

Phantom crouched down, waited for Wolfe to start firing off rounds. A few seconds passed by, followed by fifteen more seconds. Suddenly, he could hear footsteps joggling around upstairs.

"Sniper! There's a sniper!" One of the agents shouted upstairs, the camp's alarm sounding off seconds later.

He could hear the faint sounds of the strong fifty-caliber sniper rifle firing off rounds. Once he ensured a good number of soldiers had left the building to go retaliate in the attack, Phantom sprinted up the stairs, kicking through the door and pushing through the front door to the building.

The entire camp was on alert with rounds popping off on the farthest wall. S.H.I.E.L.D. troops were too busy readying for what they thought was a raid on the camp to notice the illusive Phantom sprinting across the camp with Nick Fury on his shoulders.

"Keep firing men! We'll get that sniper, yet!"

"Where's the sniper?! I can't see him!"

The agents scrambled to find a trace of where the shooter was located. But, in the dead of the night, they couldn't find anything. By the time the troops were mounted up and ready for an offensive on the outer wall's ramparts, Wolfe had ceased his bullet-fire.

"Let's get out of here." Wolfe called into the communicator, nudging Firewalker to join him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm following **you** , old man."

Phantom found an empty jeep that belonged to the visiting paramilitary group that wasn't being occupied while everything was going on. He threw Fury in the back and hopped onto the driver's seat, using his electrical powers to spark the vehicle to life and in-drive.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" An armored agent took notice, raising his weapon up at him. "Holy. Shit. It's…It's the Phantom!"

It was too late for Phantom to reason through it, he was getting out of there with Fury, one way or the other. He drove the jeep ahead, forcing the agent to jump out of the way.

"We've been compromised." Phantom spoke into the communicator.

"Can you lose them?!" Fox quickly asked.

"I'll do my best!"

Phantom turned the wheel, directing the jeep to ram straight through the facility's front barricades and drive off into the desert. By this time, the troops were alerted of his presence. They began shooting at the jeep, forcing Phantom to push Fury's head down below the back-seats to avoid getting shot up.

"It's going to be a hot extraction, boys!" Firewalker talked over the communicator. "Don't worry, Phantom-man, I'll pop into smoke and get you enough cover for Foxy to land the helo."

"Thanks." Phantom replied.

"I'm almost there, guys!" Fox called out.

In the distance, he could hear the helicopter approaching, hearing the rotator blades. He stopped the jeep in an open rocky field where there was enough room for the helicopter to approach on, grabbing Fury from the back and getting him on his shoulders again.

He looked back at the horizon where Camp Omega-Zero was, seeing a horde of troops come running after them, with bullets whizzing past them. Right before they reached the open field, Firewalker's bright flaming form came flying out, dissipating into a large black cloud of smoke that engulfed the troops, stopping them in their tracks.

Fox's helicopter arrived, the black UH-60 Black Hawk with R.O.G.U.E.'s insignia printed on its side made a soft landing, swirling sand and dirt in all directions around it. The pilot glanced over at Phantom, giving him the thumbs up. White Fox opened up the side-door and beckoned Phantom to get in.

"Come on, Phantom!"

Phantom ran towards the helicopter, pushing Fury in first before pulling himself up into the cabin. Wolfe came sprinting out of nowhere on all-fours in a wolf-like manner, jumping up and into the helicopter.

"Let's get out of here!" Fox ordered the pilot, who obeyed and began to pull out of the area.

Firewalker waited for the helicopter to get far enough before he flew up from suffocating the troops in black smoke. He jumped in, grabbing hold of his seat and closing the cabin behind him. He laughed at the troops who kept firing at them as the helicopter flew away.

"Mission success!" Firewalker happily exclaimed. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"Fury, wake up!" Phantom tried to wake up the unconscious former director, but the man had passed out.

"He needs water." Wolfe suggested, grabbing the water tank that was underneath one of the seats and handing it to Phantom.

"Here." Phantom moved Fury's lips to the top of the tank, allowing him to drink in the fresh water.

Fury drank it in, semi-waking up, but still tired and dazed.

"He needs rest." Fox told them, feeling the director's forehead. "Give him some space guys, it's a ways away before we reach Alpha Base again."

Phantom took a breather, grabbing hold of the metal bar above him to look down on Fury.

"Jesus Christ, I didn't think we'd get the bastard after all."

"We should tell Spidey." Fox mentioned.

"We definitely need to." Phantom agreed.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Second chapter down now on the second day! Gosh, I've been writing it out as best I can to make sure I'm covering all the basics before continuing on with the story! I'm doing something different this time around and making my chapters as short as possible while giving the chapters as much detail as I possibly can. Obviously, some chapters will require some more detail and more time invested into it, but it'll all be in credit for the story, I promise! :D

Please let me know what you all thought about this chapter, re-introducing Phantom and Specter Haven. I wanted to give the readers a peek into what kind of work they do now as a team, since they've been working together for two years now, giving them enough time to show their skills and capabilities. Although Fox and Wolfe didn't have much covered in this one, there'll be plenty of time to show them off later!

Thank you all for the reviews! I'm happy to see a positive reaction for the third story! Please let me know what can be improved and what things you would like to see in the coming chapters!

I don't have any new stories to endorse, nothing new since yesterday, but I'll keep my eye out for more, definitely!

 _ **As always, feedback is appreciated!**_

 _ **Stay tuned for The R.O.G.U.E. Connection**_

* * *

 **Reader Responses**

 **Retrokill:** Haha, yes, super excited to start up the story again and glad you're excited too! Thanks for the review, friend!

 **The Night Hunter:** Yeah, with what's going to happen in the next few chapters, it's going to turn everything upside down for sure. I threw in some hints as to where Power Man, Iron Fist, Nova, and Tiger ended up in this chapter, but you'll see how it all gets put together! Thanks for the review, my friend! :D

 **The Story's Shadow:** I did a lot of planning this past month to ensure I covered all the basics of what's going to happen in each chapter. I didn't do that in _Specter Haven_ , so I'm hoping that this will make sure my chapters are planned out. But thanks for the review, my friend! I appreciate it!

 **Man285:** You already know it, brother, lol. Thanks for the review!

 **Nobel Six:** Can't wait to read more of your story, my friend! Thanks!

 **ArtemisBAMF1218:** I'm glad you're excited for it, my friend! The team reunion chapters will come along as the story continues, as Spidey will run into each of his team one-by-one before reuniting all of them together! I'll be sure to answer all your questions as the story goes on! Thanks for the review! :D

 **Sport21:** Thanks, my friend! Peter did mention that he and MJ had a thing afterwards but that it didn't last long because he kept thinking of Ava. We'll see where it all ends up! Thanks for the review!

 **Axel4ekruz/Jetcore:** I'm doing my best, my friend! I'll get back to your PM as soon as I can, but I think this will be the last chapter before the weekend. I'll work on the next one then, but I've got a lot of work-related projects coming up that'll need to be looked at before I can get to this story! Thanks though, man, I really appreciate the review! Also, I found the image online, it's the cropped cover of one of Moon Knight's comics!


	3. The ROGUE Connection

_**The R.O.G.U.E. Connection**_

* * *

 _A few hours after midnight on Alpha Base, R.O.G.U.E. Headquarters…_

Agent Coulson took sip after sip of his hot coffee, working really late into the night waiting for news from Specter Haven that they had successfully rescued Fury. Due to the secrecy of the mission, only a handful of agents knew of Operation Exodus. His trusted agents were directly monitoring the progress of the mission and would report back to Coulson the moment it was a success.

However, Coulson was preoccupied with more than just Fury's rescue on his list of tasks.

Using their sleeper agents in S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department), they had been gathering intel reports on Asteroid M for a little over a year now. The asteroid itself had some sort of stealth engine installed, rendering it completely undetectable from time to time.

In this case, the asteroid was known to disappear for several months at a time. It reappeared only for a few days before going off the grid again. For the past two years, S.W.O.R.D.'s only been able to detect it three times.

This particular night, Coulson received reports that the asteroid reappeared in Earth's orbit, close to the moon. Following up on the information, S.W.O.R.D. reported an unusually large amount of activity detected within the rock, enough to be a cause for concern.

Coulson knew, however, that R.O.G.U.E. couldn't do anything directly about it at the moment. The bigger issue at the present time was their current operations against S.H.I.E.L.D., which stood as their priority, even with the threat of the Reaper returning to Earth looming in the horizon.

As he read the report, he received another one. This one was from one of his trusted agents.

"Agent Coulson, they got him. Fury's alive and in-route to Alpha Base." The agent reported.

Without hesitation, Coulson got up from his desk and ran out of his office, sprinting across a Plexiglas-walled hallway that looked out into the undersea ecosystem and pushing his way into the command platform, the heart of R.O.G.U.E.'s operations.

Inside the large and darkened command center room were rows and rows of computers that inclined upwards with two sets of stairs that passed through each row to reach the uppermost row about two stories high. Each computer was manned by a R.O.G.U.E. specialist who faced out into a very large theatre-like monitor that displayed a map of the world and moving objects that indicated their areas of operation throughout the globe.

Coulson ran up one of stairs to the uppermost row, where R.O.G.U.E. Director Maria Hill stood overseeing all the operations within the command center. She was advising one of the supervisors on what to do next in his assigned task when Coulson showed up. He paused momentarily to catch his breath.

Hill glanced over at him, her light blue eyes piercing a puzzled expression. She waved her hand, gesturing Coulson to wait for a moment while she finished advising her supervisor. Coulson nodded, pacing about to wait for her to see him.

These past two years haven't been too kind to Hill, having stressed her life immensely leading the militarized organization that broke away from S.H.I.E.L.D. In that time, however, Coulson's seen her mature through experience. She now ruled with a "firm but fair" style of leadership, ensuring that the field agents were properly trained for whatever they faced and that no mistakes went unpunished.

It was apparent, however, that that experience had aged her. He noticed the grey streaks of hair lining parts of her head. The burden of leadership truly does come with a cost.

"…and don't forget to send a HAZMAT team to make sure those chemicals don't spill out. Those agents are going to have their lungs melt if they so much as inhale them." Hill finished talking with the supervisor.

"Yes, Director."

After the supervisor walked off, Hill turned to Coulson.

"News, Coulson? You look like you just ran a full marathon."

"I wanted to deliver the news to you personally." Coulson lowered his voice, pulling her aside, away from the specialists.

"What is it?"

"They got him, Maria. Specter Haven rescued Fury!"

The surprised look on her face said it all.

"Are you sure?! We can't afford to have any mistakes on-"

"They're on their way, Director." Coulson calmly reassured her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "No doubt, he's going to need medical attention. Let's have agents on standby to help him when they arrive."

"Coulson, this is… this is great news!" Hill smiled with tears in her eyes. "At last… he's back."

"He's going to have a lot to say when he hears what's happened with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"…as well as Spidey's team." Hill remarked, sighing. "… I still feel horrible for not having stopped Sitwell from splitting them up."

"Well, they had the choice to stay together, didn't they?" Coulson inquired, crossing his arms.

"It was either that or tell Sitwell where the location of Specter Haven's sanctuary was." Hill shook her head, disapproving of the situation. "He **did** threaten to present proof that they were working with Phantom and **us**. We're practically terrorists now in the eyes of the world. They made a sacrifice to keep Specter Haven safe."

"In regards to the practical terrorist thing…I think I still prefer 'the army without a nation' title. I think it suits us."

"Regardless of what happened, I'm going to plead to Fury that we get those kids back." Hill confidently stated.

"What about S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Dealing with them is our first priority above all else, we'll discuss all that with Fury." Hill ended on that note.

She returned to overseeing the command center while Coulson readied a detail of trusted agents to prepare a landing platform for Specter Haven's arrival. The underwater medical platform sent personnel to the landing platform to quickly treat Fury and escort him back for treatment.

* * *

 _Early morning hours, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean…_

After safely rescuing Fury and escaping Afghanistan, the support helicopter returned to the nearest R.O.G.U.E. Helicarrier, _Argus_ , where Coulson's trusted agents transferred Fury and the team on a Quinjet that rapidly escorted them stealthily to Alpha Base. With little less than a few hours left before arrival, Fury had finally regained consciousness.

Phantom was the first to speak to him, introducing him to Fox, Wolfe, and Firewalker, along with explaining him the catastrophic details that involved Taskmaster's occupation during the Manhattan Incident, the division of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Battle of Island M, the death of James Rhodes, the fall of Magneto, and the true identity of the Reaper.

This left Fury in shock, almost not believing Phantom. But, he had been gone for more than two years at that point. He was imprisoned by S.H.I.E.L.D., then Deadpool, and then back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury knew that **a lot** had to have happened in that time-span, he just couldn't believe the severity of it all.

Phantom wondered if his imprisonment by S.H.I.E.L.D. was only done so as to make Fury out to be an example to agents who might think otherwise about the organization's policies, proving that even legends like Nick Fury could fall.

"Damn it… damn it all." Fury sighed, staring out of the Quinjet's windows, and placing an eyepatch he acquired from the personnel on-board the _Argus_ over his bad eye.

"I know it's a lot to take in, Fury, but it's important that you understand what's been going on." Phantom calmly explained. "Sitwell's gone off the deep end. He doesn't yet realize that the real enemy isn't us, it's Reaper."

"He's not going to listen. The fool was a bureaucrat when I took the director position. All he cared about was advancing whatever his agenda was. Back then, it was micro-managing the Avengers Initiative, but I took him off before he could get his chubby, manipulating fingers all over it. Now, he's in charge of the whole **fuckin'** organization." Fury spat out, balling up his right fist.

"Damn it!" He repeated, ramming his knuckles against the metal of the Quinjet, and sighing once more.

"Don't blame yourself, big boss-man, there was nothing you could do to stop all of this in the situation you was in." Firewalker assured him in a friendly tone.

"I **could've** escaped. I **could've** attempted to make contact back to Hill or Coulson directly. But, I'm **still** trying to figure out how why Deadpool was going to sell me off to a bunch of mercenaries back when I was trapped with him." Fury frustratingly answered.

"Maybe it was so that they had you as a trophy." Wolfe suggested.

"Maybe." Fury agreed. "You said Deadpool rescued you all from Asteroid M? Did R.O.G.U.E. capture him afterwards?"

"They did." Fox politely answered. "But, he slipped out the moment they were going to use him to help fight against S.H.I.E.L.D. He's been gone for a while now."

"Figures." Fury sarcastically chuckled. "Deadpool was never one to be locked away for so long."

The former director paced about the cabin of the Quinjet, trying to recollect his thoughts after being imprisoned. Phantom studied him for a moment, expecting him to say more than he did. He noticed that Fury walked with a limp, indicating that his right leg had become fractured in some way before his rescue.

"I… I can't help but wonder, Cruz, why did **you** come back to save me?" Fury turned to face him. "The last time we spoke, you wanted me dead for what happened to you in Vitruvian. I was surprised to see that you were my rescuer."

Fox glanced over at Phantom, watching for his reaction.

"It **wasn't** your fault, Fury." Phantom calmly spoke with a tone of bitterness in his tone. "I… I was clouded by my anger. I was fueled by my hatred. I lost everything… my former life as Alejandro Cruz, my wife, the future I wanted… but you weren't the one to blame. You never were. I… I was wrong."

"How'd you figure that?"

"These past two years have revealed **much** to me. What happened on Island M showed me the **real truth**. Somehow, someway, Reaper acquired the Infinity Gems of **Time** and **Power**. He used **Time** to return to the past after his fellow mutants all died at the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Thinking he could still trust Magneto, he turned to him for help, revealing to him the future that would await them if they didn't stop S.H.I.E.L.D. The two of them turned to Taskmaster to do the dirty work for them. With his connection to an army of mercenaries and his pre-existing hatred for S.H.I.E.L.D., he manipulated me, played me by my emotions, and… I practically delivered Manhattan to him. I was wrong to have framed you all those years ago.

"If it wasn't for me… you wouldn't have been imprisoned." Phantom finished, getting the burden of guilt off his chest.

Fury stared at him blankly, trying to discern whether his apology was genuine. But, he would never truly know. Phantom had become emotionally stable since the last time they spoke, masking his emotional state very well. And so, he would have to trust his judgment.

"You don't have to apologize, Cruz."

"Alejandro Cruz… is long gone, Fury." Phantom corrected him. "He died when the Helicarrier crashed into the Hudson River. He's… he's dead."

"You sure about that?" Fury skeptically asked. "What about your daughter, Selena? What about her?"

Phantom gritted his teeth, clenching his right fist. Fox then slowly placed her right hand on his shoulder, calming him down.

"I… I don't want to talk about it."

"I see." Fury dropped the subject, sitting down on one of the chairs. "Well, I never had the chance to thank you. But, thank you for rescuing me, Phantom, Specter Haven."

"Don't mention it, big boss." Firewalker cheerily patted Fury on the shoulder.

"It was fun sending rounds downrange, even **if** I didn't get to kill anybody." Wolfe grunted, taking a sip out of his silver flask.

"I assume Parker and the others will be waiting for us at this **Alpha Base** , then?" Fury curiously inquired.

Everybody looked at each other, having realized that nobody told Fury the truth. Fury noticed it.

"Jesus Christ, what's happened this time!? Did Nova take over the team!? Rand got caught with hallucinogenic drugs!? Cage started using steroids!? Don't tell me Parker knocked up Ayala…"

"Whoa, whoa, chill, boss-man. Nothing of the sort!" Firewalker stopped him short. "At least, I don't **think** that Ava's pregnant..."

"Sitwell cornered the teenagers after what happened on Island M. He threatened to hand them over to the U.S. Government for working with the likes of me unless they handed over the location of our hideout, the Sanctuary. They refused to, electing to instead be **split-up** by Sitwell and taken away from each other to other S.H.I.E.L.D. cells around the world. They haven't seen each other in two years." Phantom explained.

"That bastard!" Fury angrily responded. "He had **no right** to split those kids up, they were **my priority**!"

"Fury…" Phantom tried to calm him down.

"Please, tell me that Parker's still alive."

"He's alive." Phantom answered for him. "He graduated Midtown High a little over a year ago. He lives in a small studio apartment near Gramercy in Manhattan and works as a mail-clerk for Daily Bugle Communications. He's still web-slinging around as Spider-Man though, he hasn't given up that duty yet."

"I'll have to speak to him." Fury concluded. "What about the others? Where are they?"

"We tried to keep an eye on them but Sitwell kept their locations classified. They went dark about a year ago and we haven't been able to locate them since then. I don't believe they work for S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore." Phantom explained. "I also believe that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been hunting them for a while now."

"We'll look for them too. I'll make sure that they're found." Fury concluded, resting his head on the headrest of the chair.

"E.T.A, 30 minutes!" The R.O.G.U.E. Quinjet pilot called out.

Wolfe's stomach suddenly growled loudly. "I hope they got some good grub at their base."

"I thought you always had jerky around for when you got hungry!" Firewalker blurted out.

"I ate all of it in Afghanistan. Hmm… Firewalker, if we landed this jet in the water, and I went out to fish for some grub, will you cook it for me?" Wolfe requested.

"Hell nah to the hell nah. You're going to have to wait." Firewalker chuckled.

"Interesting group of specters you got here, Phantom." Fury commented.

"Yeah, they're a pretty solid team." Phantom agreed, glancing over at Fox. "I'd die for them."

She smiled.

Several minutes later, they arrived to Alpha Base's coordinates. It was storming heavily over the area of sea, even with the sun rising into the skies. Once the base acknowledged their arrival, a large cylindrical-shaped platform arose from the ocean's surface. The top opened up, revealing a hangar bay inside. The pilot hovered the Quinjet over the opening and slowly descended inside. The platform then closed its opening and descended into the depths of the ocean afterwards to reconnect with the rest of the underwater base.

Inside, a medical team quickly escorted Nick Fury out of the Quinjet on a gurney. Director Hill and Agent Coulson were waiting behind the medics, watching them as they escorted the legendary former director out. The medical team had strict orders to transfer him to the medical platform as soon as possible, so there was no time to personally greet him.

Phantom and the rest of Specter Haven off-loaded from the Quinjet, meeting back up with Director Hill and Agent Coulson. The detail of R.O.G.U.E. agents that were standing by began to whisper amongst each other, not believing that they were seeing the enigmatic Specter Haven team with their own eyes.

"It's been too long, Phantom." Hill stretched out her hand, shaking the specter's hand firmly. "I can't begin to explain to you how much R.O.G.U.E. appreciates that Specter Haven did this for us."

"Fury needed to be rescued, of course. You can thank Coulson for giving us all the information we needed. We just did the leg work." Phantom modestly answered. "But, with Fury with us now, I'd like to know what actions R.O.G.U.E. is taking next in pursuing Reaper on Asteroid M."

"We'll need to speak to Fury so that we can consider our options…" Hill sternly answered.

"Consider options? Hill, you're the goddamn Director of R.O.G.U.E.! **You** should be the **one** making decisions here." Phantom aggressively corrected her. "We've been dogging Fury for two years, my team and I brought him in, and **now** , I'm being asked to **wait**?"

"Phantom, our present concern is S.H.I.E.L.D. We're being asked by the United States to parlay with S.H.I.E.L.D. so that we can find a peaceful resolution to this civil war. In the meantime, we're still at each other's throats. I can't make harsh decisions right now, even **if** I'm the director."

"Reaper is out there, he's **waiting** for us to become complacent. The more we wait to take the fight to Asteroid M, the harder the hammer will fall when he returns." Phantom argued. "These cheap antics playing politics are going to get people killed."

"We haven't heard anything from S.W.O.R.D. about Asteroid M for months now, Phantom. **Drop the subject!** " Hill raised her voice.

"Actually, director, there's been developments." Coulson spoke up. "I received reports from S.W.O.R.D. a couple hours ago. The asteroid's reappeared in Earth's orbit."

It went silent for several seconds while the two parties tried to figure out what to do next.

"Reaper's coming back, sooner than you know it." Phantom broke the silence. "He's going to finish what he started."

"We'll discuss all of this with Fury, in time." Hill ended the conversation.

She marched out of the hangar bay with her detail of trusted R.O.G.U.E. agents, leaving Coulson and the rest of the team inside.

"She's excited to see Fury. That much is certain." Coulson assured Phantom. "Don't worry. I'm sure Asteroid M is on her list of priorities."

"It better damn well be, Coulson. It better damn well be." Phantom remarked.

Wolfe sniffed the air. "She's discharging blood."

Fox sighed. "Women tend to do that once a month, Wolfe. We really didn't' need to confirm that."

"While we wait for Fury to recover, perhaps we can offer you four some temporary lodging in our guest quarters? It'll give you all time to rest and relax after your mission." Coulson respectfully offered.

"You sure you won't mind America's most wanted creeping up in here?" Firewalker coolly asked.

Coulson shrugged. "Just don't piss any of the agents off. Make sure you leave your weapons stowed away."

"We appreciate the offer, Coulson." Phantom accepted, having calmed down from his aggressive stance with the director. "Just point us in the direction and we'll settle in."

Coulson nodded, making his way to the hangar's exit. Wolfe and Firewalker quickly followed him.

"Point me to the cafeteria, Coulson." Wolfe huffed. "I. Need. Food."

"What about you, Firewalker?" Coulson inquired.

"Ah, I'm just going to hit the rack, man. Maybe shower first."

Phantom and Fox watched the three of them walk off, leaving themselves in the hangar bay alone.

"You can go join them in settling in to their quarters, if you'd like, Fox. I… I need to gather my thoughts." Phantom approached a crate that was stacked next to the metallic walls of the cylindrical-shaped hangar, sitting on top of it.

"I've heard those words enough times to know what means." Fox followed him, sitting next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh, I'm… I'm doing okay. It was strange to see Fury again. It's been… so long. We didn't exactly last see each other on good terms."

"He seemed to be grateful for his rescue, though. He owes you his life now. God knows what kind of hell he was in before we showed up, it's great that we were the ones who saved him."

"I suppose."

"You don't think so?" Fox wondered.

"R.O.G.U.E. wanted him back, so I got him back. With him, we can press forward, stop Reaper, and get Spider-Man his team back. He's a means to an end. On the other side, maybe this is karma… for all that happened to **me**." Phantom vaguely answered.

"You don't mean that."

"How would you know?" Phantom skeptically asked.

"Because you're not **completely** heartless, Phantom, even if you'd like to think you are. You're… compassionate about the things you believe in. It's why you still watch over Peter Parker, keeping tabs on him in ways other than your mental connection."

"You've been spying on my work after-hours, Fox?"

"You expect me not to?"

Phantom sarcastically grinned underneath his mask. "I expect my teammates to respect my privacy."

"Look, all I'm saying is that you shouldn't sell your accomplishments short. You saved the legendary Nick Fury and we're one step closer to stopping Reaper. You should feel… at least… a little good about yourself."

"Eh…" Phantom shrugged.

"Come on, **tonto** , you know I'm right." Fox teased him on.

"Maybe." Phantom humored her. "I'll feel better after all of this is over."

"What, waiting to finally retire?" Fox giggled. "You're not thinking about making this a lifetime career?"

"I'm forty five years old, Fox. I'm getting too old for this."

"…says the guy who can't age." Fox sarcastically added.

"You know what I mean." Phantom sighed, getting off the crate and walking about. "You ever wake up sometimes and just… have an empty spot? A void in your life where you feel like something's missing?"

Fox got off the crate as well, deciding to walk with him.

"It depends… sometimes that empty spot is breakfast." Fox playfully joked. "But, how long have you felt this 'empty spot'?"

"For a while now, but… it comes and goes. I guess it's just a part of who I am now. Maybe I was meant to feel this way. Misery loves company, after all."

"It shouldn't be that way, maybe I can help!" Fox stopped Phantom in his tracks by getting in-front of him. "We could meditate! I could find a memory in your past that might make you feel better."

"Thank you, Fox. But it'll only worsen it. My fondest memories are with Maria and I'd prefer not to relive those years again. I've moved on from the fact she and Alejandro Cruz once loved each other but… the emptiness remains. If I could figure out what it is, maybe I can treat it."

"Maybe it's… lack of love?" Fox suggested, catching Phantom's gaze.

"You mean **love** as in **romance**?" Phantom scratched the back of his neck. "I doubt **anyone** would be willing to want to romance a scarred-up freak fugitive like me. I'm not that great of company to begin with…"

Fox wanted to speak up and say something but she was too nervous to say anything. For the past two years, the two had always subliminally flirted with each other. Fox's vision in Reaper's Dream Nexus foretold that she and Phantom would eventually marry and have children in their future. She held on to that experience close to her heart.

She never told Phantom what her vision was. He didn't think that they knew each other long enough for there to be anything worth noting as **love**. But, two years later, Fox's done more than just go on missions with him. She's laughed with him, cried with him, joked with him, and even spent time with him, even if they were just good friends.

Firewalker and Wolfe knew that she had feelings for Phantom, it was blatantly obvious. But, as clever and as intelligent Phantom was, he was too clueless to realize that Fox was always there for him. It meant the world to her to see him happy since it was a rare sight to see.

"I'm sure there's **somebody** out there." Fox slowly bit her lip, lowering her hood and exposing her long dark-brown hair, trying to catch Phantom's attention.

"Eh." Phantom shrugged. "My feelings aren't the priority right now anyways, Fox. You should go get some rest. I'm sure Fury will be ready to talk here soon anyway. I'll go check on his condition."

"Okay." Fox nodded. "Do you want to go grab and bite me?"

"What?"

"I mean, do you want to go grab a bite with me at the cafeteria?" Fox nervously stumbled. "Sorry, I didn't mean 'bite me', I totally didn't mean that!"

"Uh, perhaps next time, Fox. Thank you, though." Phantom kindly answered.

"Of course." Fox smiled. "I'll meet back up with you then."

Phantom watched her turn the corner to the exit before he disappeared out of sight, deciding to take his own personal tour of Alpha Base on his own. He had never quite explored the immense underwater facility as he would've liked to, but saw that it was a complex labyrinth that had various platforms for different purposes. Once he figured it out, he made his way to the medical platform to view Fury's progress.

Walking towards the cafeteria, Fox couldn't help but to glance back at her teammate. She disappeared after turning the corner and peeked back in time to watch him disappear into thin air as well. He headed off towards the other exit, presumably to go see Fury's condition.

"Really, Fox? **Bite me?** Gosh, now he's going to think I want him to go down on me..." Fox murmured to herself, returning down the hallway towards the cafeteria. "…not that I wouldn't mind, but… Oh, shut up, Carmen! You're making it worse!"

* * *

 _The next morning at Peter's apartment in Gramercy…_

Several hours pass on by after Peter's nightly patrol over the city as Spider-Man. By now, the night life had ended and New York City's day begun all over again. He woke to the buzzing chatter on the police scanner first before his alarm clock went off.

"All units, we have a 10-30 in progress at the First National Bank of Manhattan. Any available units, please respond." The female dispatcher notified. "Caution is advised."

"Jesus Christ, I never get a day off anymore." Peter complained, jumping out of bed and unlocking his locker, grabbing the new Spider-Man suit.

The Spider-Man suit was re-designed after what happened on Island M. Spidey got the help of Tony Stark to help retrofit the suit with a handier utility belt to supply more webbing as well as a stronger electrical battery that connected to his shooters to deliver more powerful electrical webbing.

On top of the bulletproof padding that complimented his chest and arms, Stark added a technological edge to the mask's optics, giving it targeting features and heat-seeking capabilities. It was strange to use at first, but Peter eventually got the hang of it.

He costumed up and jumped out of his window, taking his backpack with him to change in-time for work. He swung through the streets, passing buses and trucks as they made their morning runs through the heavy traffic.

"Damn it, it's going to be the fifth time I'm running late. I hope J.J. doesn't fire me for this! MJ practically had to beg to make sure I got this job!"

The blaring sound of the bank's alarm caught the web-slinger's attention first, watching as a slew of police cruisers blockaded the street parallel to the bank. The cops were perched against their cars, pistols aimed at the entrance, waiting for orders.

"Looks like I'm just a **little** late to the party!" Spidey landed down behind the policemen.

"Spider-Man!" One of the mustached cops pulled him over. "That wacko in the red suit's going nuts in there. We thought he was robbing the bank! But, as it turns out, he's demanding to talk to **you!** "

"Me?! Who in the hell would want to talk to me?!" Spidey questioned, glancing into the bank's glass windows.

He recognized the culprit instantly. Deadpool stared back at Spidey, looking through a set of binoculars and happily waving at him from inside the bank.

"Jesus Christ, **what the hell** is **Deadpool** doing here?" Spidey groaned, turning back to the cop. "Don't worry about it, officer, **I'll take care of him**."

"Alright, just watch it, web-head, there are hostages in there!" The officer warned, ordering his men to stand down as Spidey approached the front entrance into the bank.

"Yeah, yeah." Spidey remarked, raising his hands to show Deadpool that he's just there to talk.

As he was about to open the dark-tinted glass entrance doors, the barrel of a pistol poked out of the doorway, followed by a black gloved hand that pulled Spidey inside.

"Ahhhhh, Spidey!" Deadpool exclaimed in happiness as he hugged him, squeezing him tightly. "Boy, oh boy, it's **years** , buddy!"

"No. Kidding!" Spidey struggled to speak with Deadpool's tightening hug.

Deadpool let go, clapping his hands. " **Well, now!** Where's the rest of your team, webs?! Where's piss-bucket Nova?! Roid-ragin' Power Man?! High-as-a-cloud Iron Fist?! Ooooh, what about the luscious White Tiger?! They at school or something?!"

"Wait a second… I thought you were being held custody of by R.O.G.U.E. after we fought Magneto?"

"Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah… **about that!** See, I didn't really like the whole idea of working with them, so I broke free and went looking for my partner in crime!" Deadpool briefly explained. "I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd say hi! What better way to contact ol' web-head than to rob a bank?!"

Spidey face-palmed. "Deadpool, I've got **work** in less than ten minutes! I thought this was serious! Where are all the **hostages?!** "

"Hostages?! No hostages, web-head! I let them go through the back-door! You have **any idea** what Cable would do to me if I held hostage hostages!? He'd… he'd go back in time and **remove chimichangas from existence!** " Deadpool grabbed his face in horror.

"You're wasting my time here, Deadpool. I'm going to work. If you didn't steal anything, just head on out before I change my mind and call S.H.I.E.L.D. to come pick your ass up." Spidey crossed his arms.

Deadpool giggled. "You and I **both** know that you wouldn't do that, webs! Not after what they did with your friends."

"What the fu-… Then why did you just ask about the rest of the team?"

" **Comedic value!** " Deadpool simply stated.

"How do you know what they did? You know something I don't about my team?!"

" **Maybe**." Deadpool suggested, pacing about the empty bank, staring at the random marble statues of past city leaders that decorated the bank.

Spidey glanced at his watch. "Well, fuck it, I'm late anyway. What do you know, Deadpool?"

"Well, you'll be happy to know that none of them work for S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. Trust me, I went poking around and found out that they escaped their S.H.I.E.L.D. cells like… I don't know… a **year** ago?" Deadpool explained. "I don't know if you've noticed, but they're at the top of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Most Wanted after they escaped! Haha!"

"B-but… Why haven't they tried… to contact me?" Spidey bit his lip, anxious to find out more. "What about Ava?"

"Jeez, calm your balls, web-head! You get only one answer from me today!" Deadpool crossed his arms. "I don't know where **Ava's** gone. Maybe she got with the next best thing. Ooooh, maybe she found another super-dude to purr with!"

"Shut up…"

"Ooooh, Did I struck a nerve?" Deadpool continued to egg him on. "I mean, yeah…didn't you know, webs? I think she started **hooking up** with some other hunk! Mmm… bet she's going full Tiger on him right now too! Mmmm! Man-eater!"

"No, no, she wouldn't…" Spidey gritted his teeth. "She… she wouldn't!"

Deadpool chuckled. " **Calm down** , webs, I was just fuckin' around. I'm sure you'll find her again soon."

"That wasn't funny!"

"Whatever." Deadpool shrugged, approaching the bank's vault and pulling out an assortment of dynamite and little black bombs. "Now, time to rob this sucker."

"I thought you said this wasn't a robbery!?" Spidey aggressively asked.

"Hmm? Oh! I forgot you were still there!" Deadpool freaked out. "Mind getting out of here so I can do my business?"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Deadpool." Spidey shrugged. "There's a bunch of New Yorkers out there waiting for me to bring you out there."

"They can wait!" Deadpool spat.

Suddenly, the entire building started to shake, as though an earthquake was beginning to rupture right through the bank. Deadpool's eyes widened and began looking around.

"Earthquake!" Spidey exclaimed. Deadpool shook his head.

A bright light began electrically sparking in the middle of the room through thin air, as though it was ripping itself through time and space. It violently shook the room until it tore a portal open, dropping a very tall, very muscular being right into the bank.

Spidey jumped up to the wall facing away from the portal, peeking over the corner to see what had popped out. The being had short whitish gray hair with a goatee. His armor covered his whole body and was tinted in a yellow and black color scheme, his chest-armor being mostly yellow. His left arm was completely metallic, almost reminiscent of the Winter Soldier.

His distinguishable feature was his left eye. It seemed to be beaming a bright yellow color. He scanned across the area with it.

"Damn it, Wade, what the hell have you done this time?!" The figure demanded, speaking in a deep and authoritative voice.

" **Cable!** " Deadpool exclaimed, running up to hug him but Cable quickly punched him away.

Deadpool flew backwards from the punch's force, blasting through a wall.

"Well, that hurt." Deadpool crawled out. "Cable! What the hell are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be… I don't know… what the **hell** do you do when you're not in the future?"

"You idiot, you **contacted me!** " Cable angrily stated. "What the hell do you think you're doing, robbing a bank?"

"Actually, I was just doing that so I can say hi to web-head!" Deadpool looked up at the wall-crawler. "Tell him, Spidey, tell him!"

Cable crossed his arms, looking up at the web-slinger, expressing a face of surprise. "Is that Peter Parker?"

"In the flesh!" Peter jumped down and waved at him. "I wish I could say that I know you too but, I don't."

"I don't expect you to." Cable assured him. "You're destined for great things, Spider-Man. That much is certain."

"Aw come on, stop sugarcoating shit for him, Summers!" Deadpool groaned.

"Shut it, Wade! We've got work to do!" Cable grabbed Deadpool by the collar and lifted him up with his metallic arm. "What would Death think about all of this, robbing a bank and such…?"

"Don't bring her into this! Don't you do it, Summers! I'll bleed you dry if you tell her!" Deadpool squirmed around.

Cable approached the portal with Deadpool before looking back at Spider-Man. "We'll be back before long, Spider-Man."

" **Stop spoiling it for the readers!** Why do you ruin all the fun, Summers!? You sick bastard! Now, let me go! Jesus, you're almost as annoying as Colossus and Negasonic!"

Cable walked through the portal dragging the Merc with a Mouth in his hand, allowing the portal to close up behind them afterwards.

"Well… that was **weird**." Spidey shrugged, looking at his watch. "But… it definitely wasted my morning. (Sighs) Sorry MJ, I hope J.J. doesn't think different of you after he fires me."

After Spidey explained the situation to the police and assured them that the robber had been taken care of, he quickly web-swung back to Daily Bugle Communications. He crawled through the air shafts from the roof to get into the restroom where he changed into his work attire and walked out.

"Only thirty minutes late…" Peter sighed, rushing to the mailroom.

* * *

 _Mid-afternoon in the Main Conference Room on Alpha Base…_

Agent Coulson rallied everyone up once Nick Fury was cleared from the medical platform later on that day after his rescue. The former director had suffered minor injuries and a cracked knee, but he was still pulling through with the assistance of a cane. By now, the entire undersea base found out that the legendary Nick Fury was alive. S.H.I.E.L.D. verified with the media that R.O.G.U.E. took Nick Fury **captive against his own will**.

Phantom and the rest of Specter Haven reached the Main Conference Room, taking their seats opposite from where Fury, Director Hill, and Agent Coulson were. A rather attractive blonde woman sat between the two parties on the perpendicular side of the large metallic table.

"It looks like everyone's here." Hill started the discussion, standing up and walking towards the side of the table opposite from the blonde woman.

"As you can all obviously see, Nick Fury is back with us now, and so our timetable of operations has moved up. We need to address what R.O.G.U.E. **should** do now."

"I'll repeat my argument from yesterday in saying that just because we haven't heard from the Reaper and Asteroid M in two years **doesn't** mean the threat is gone. I expected more action out of R.O.G.U.E. in this. Instead, we're all still waiting on Fury to keep making the decisions." Phantom sternly pointed out. "No offense, Fury."

"Phantom's right." Fury simply agreed. "If I died, I would want action to be taken. I didn't expect to be rescued, but I can see now that time and resources were spent trying to get me back."

"You've got to understand, boss, you're an invaluable asset." Coulson pleaded. "Hill and I did what we thought was best at the time and placed your rescue at the top of the priority list."

"I understand that, Coulson. But it's been two years. What progress have we done in two years?"

"It's hard to progress when we have S.H.I.E.L.D. breathing down our necks at every turn. We've tried to disrupt their operations and have yet to engage in open combat with them. It's too risky and there'd be a lot of casualties on both sides." Hill politely answered.

"Holy fuckin' shit, since when did we have to sit through all these politics?" Wolfe complained. "Look, we got Fury. Let's go after Reaper and gut the son-of-a-bitch!"

"It's not that simple, Wolfe, we need to plan, coordinate." Coulson argued.

"Ahem." The blonde woman suddenly interrupted, Hill quickly took notice.

"I'm sorry. Specter Haven, this is our R.O.G.U.E. liaison to the United States, former Agent Sharon Carter. She's been coordinating with the government to see if we can reinstate ourselves, trying to prove that we're not domestic terrorists." Hill introduced her.

"More. Political. Bullshit." Wolfe sighed.

"Wolfe, this is necessary." Phantom lowered his voice in telling him.

"Well, I'd like to remind **both** parties that the United States is requesting that we formally speak with S.H.I.E.L.D. at the upcoming Manhattan Peace Talks in two weeks' time. There, we'll bring up valid points to Director Sitwell concerning R.O.G.U.E.'s involvement and hopefully find a resolution to the divide."

"It won't work." Fury commented. "Sitwell won't compromise on anything, especially if he has the upper hand. He'll attend the talks out of respect for the U.S., but the fighting **will** continue."

"I agree." Phantom concurred. "…which is why I believe we need to focus our efforts on Asteroid M. Do you have any new information on that, Coulson?"

Coulson looked through an electronic tablet he had in his hand. "Activity has increased. S.W.O.R.D. sent a patrol to investigate but they've experienced mysterious signal loss of the ships and have disappeared."

This caused the room to fall silent. They contemplated on what would result of that.

"Something's coming, ladies and gentlemen. Reaper should be our number one priority." Phantom staunchly stood by on his decision.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. can dissolve our efforts in an instant, Phantom. We either fix the divide or we wage full-scale combat with the organization. We need to make that decision, first." Hill confidently argued.

"Nick Fury, what do **you** think we should do?" Sharon Carter curiously asked him.

Fury hesitated to answer at first, staring down to the metal of the table in front of him. He closed his eye, tapping his fingers on the metal trying to think. He then finally spoke.

"Whatever Reaper has in store, it's going to present itself on an unprecedented level, far worse than we have ever imagined. I fear that humanity might stand at the brink of extinction if Reaper returns to Earth. What we need are allies to help defend against it."

"The Avengers, Specter Haven…" Coulson began listing them off.

"That won't be enough." Fury quickly remarked. "We'll need the others to get on-board with us… the X-Men, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Fantastic Four, if need be…"

"Rogers and the Avengers are already working on those leads." Fox quickly added. "I mean, they **were** working on those leads. It's been a while since we spoke with them."

"The more allies we can get ahold of, the better prepared we'll be for the invasion. We **can't stand** to mount a defense without them." Fury sternly stated.

"But Nick, what about the Manhattan Peace Talks?" Sharon Carter brought up.

"We can't ignore those either. I'll go represent R.O.G.U.E. at the peace talks, that way I can see Sitwell's face directly and I can show the rest of the dignitaries there that we're not here to fool around while Reaper's at our front door. The time for unity is now. Hopefully the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. can see that."

"But, S.H.I.E.L.D. still has an arrest warrant for you, big-boss!" Firewalker pointed out.

"I know. But, so do the rest of us. We'll be operating under an olive branch, right Agent Carter?" Fury asked.

"Correct. We'll have temporary sanctum for the talks." Sharon Carter assured them all.

"Forgive me if I'm not too trusting of that." Phantom coldly stated.

"Well, I'll have **you** there as my protection, Phantom." Fury coolly added. "We need to set your record straight, best way to do that is to prove to the world that you're not responsible for Manhattan."

"Seriously?"

"As serious as I can be, Cruz."

Phantom sighed. "That'll complicate things."

"There is… one other thing." Fury continued. "I want Parker back on-board with us. I want him there at the talks with us, above all else. I know how much that team meant to him as well as how much it meant to me. I'm going to **make sure** that S.H.I.E.L.D. returns White Tiger, Iron Fist, Power Man, and Nova to us."

"They don't work for S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore." Hill pointed out.

"Then, I'll **make them** find them for us." Fury stood up and hobbled over to the Plexiglas windows, using his cane as support, and looked out into the undersea life.

"Once we have them on-board, there is no doubt in my mind that we'll have what it takes to face the Reaper and end this nightmare once and for all."

"Understood, sir." Hill agreed.

"Until then, I'd like to see Parker again. Would it be possible to send him out here?"

"We can contact Dr. Strange to send him out here." Coulson suggested. "He's been working closely with us for the past two years, keeping an eye on Peter."

"Very well, do it." Fury ordered, turning to Phantom. "Until you're summoned again, Specter Haven can resume your normal tasks."

Phantom and his teammates stood up from their chairs. A simple nod was all Fury received from Phantom as acknowledgment. As the specters turned to the door, Fury mentioned one last thing.

"Thanks again for saving me, Phantom. That's a debt I'll never be able to repay."

Phantom glanced over at him as he walked out of the door. "…and you'll never have to, Fury."

Specter Haven left that afternoon back out to the Sanctuary in rural New York. Fury refused to take the Director position from Hill, instead taking on an advisory role within R.O.G.U.E. while overseeing everything that took place operational-wise. Above everything else, he couldn't wait to see Parker again and catch back up.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot! I feel like this is finally getting the gears rolling onto what this story has to offer and beginning to unravel the story plot in some measurable way! I'll work on the fourth chapter this week, hopefully be able to post something up by the weekend. I'll be busy June 13-17, I have some stuff going on that week and might be postponed from the 20th-24th as well, but I'll keep you guys posted! :D

I'd like to hear what you guys thought about this chapter! Specifically with the introduction of Cable alongside Deadpool in this one! I know it was brief but I definitely wanted to add them in! Let me know about the Phantom/Fox relationship going on!

Also, some great stories I'd like to recommend to you all! :D _**bonds of betrayal Spider-mans end**_ by **Sport21** is getting pretty good, especially if you like some Ava/Peter action! Definitely give it a read! I also took the time to read the older stories in the community archive, so check out _**Ava and Peter**_ and _**Their First**_ by **dizzyizzy123**. They were really great to read and I definitely recommend!

 _ **As always, feedback is appreciated!**_

 _ **Stay tuned for On Stranger Tides**_

* * *

 **Reader Responses**

 **Retrokill** : Thanks man, I really appreciate it! :D Unfortunately, it isn't my own artwork. It's part of the cover from _Vengeance of the Moon Knight_ Issue #10. Phantom's appearance is heavily influenced by Moon Knight's own image. To answer your other question, Fox and Phantom aren't a thing **yet** , but I hope I shed some light on their romance in this chapter! Lol, keep asking questions! :D Thanks for the review!

 **Sport21** : Yeah man, I thought it'd be a great re-introduction to Specter Haven by having them covertly rescue Fury again. In-case anyone was wondering, I modeled the rescue after Kazuhira Miller's rescue in _Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain_ , which was also in Afghanistan! To answer your question, **one** of them snuck back into the states. He'll be the first one that Spidey runs back into and goes by the name of **Carl Lucas** now! :) Thanks for the review, my friend!

 **The Story's Shadow** : Thank you, my friend, I appreciate that! I've planned for each of the members to meet back up with Spidey and re-join the team one-by-one, so that way, each meeting and interaction is more personal to Spidey and give insight as to what they did for the past two years! Thanks for the review! :)

 **Death Fury** : Thanks! :D I've planned for a chapter where all of their locations and situations are, but that's still in the works. For now, I'm trying to unravel that information by means of **rumors** or **suspicions** of where they might've ended up. Don't worry, you'll find out in time! Thanks for the review!


	4. On Stranger Tides

_**On Stranger Tides**_

* * *

 _Later the same morning at Daily Bugle Communications…_

Peter quickly picked up the mail load for the main news floor in his small cubicle up in the mailroom, avoiding a confrontation with his supervisor who reported directly to self-appointed boss and anchorman of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson. Being his fifth time being late, Peter was walking on thin ice, risking losing his job any day now.

"Late again, Parker?" Mary Jane poked her head in his cubicle, startling him.

"Whoa, MJ! Jeez, don't scare me like that!" Peter exclaimed from his chair. "Yeah, I…uh… got caught up at home."

"Alarm didn't go off again?" MJ skeptically asked, walking into his cubicle and sitting down across from him on a small stool he used to place stacks of mail on.

She looked pretty today, wearing a short green dress, white undershirt, and black heels. Peter felt a little underdressed in her presence with his casual outfit. Then again, he had to remember that MJ was a reporter now, so she **had** to look nice.

" **Something** like that."

MJ rolled her eyes. "Damn it, Pete. I **know** J.J knows that you're late, your manager snitched on you when you showed up. Do you **not** take this job seriously?"

"I do, MJ, I do! I just got a lot going on… you know, with life and everything."

She sarcastically chuckled. "What does Peter Parker do that takes so much of his time away after work that he oversleeps?"

"Uh… I go to the gym? Workout?" Peter unconvincingly told her.

She crossed her arms. "Uh-huh. Well, try not to be late again, Pete. I'm not sure if J.J will want to talk to you about this after he's done with his morning news."

"He probably will. It's alright. If worse comes to shove, I'll try finding somewhere else to work on my own. Maybe Harry can hook me up." Peter suggested, jokingly.

"Maybe! Speaking of which, you **do** know Harry and I are dating now, right?"

"I didn't! When did **that** happen?" Peter questioned.

"Like a few days ago, Pete! Didn't you see our relationship status on Facebook?"

"I haven't had time to check my Facebook in months now, MJ." Peter shrugged.

"Oh, that's right. You're 'busy' after-work." MJ gestured the quotations. "Well, we're going out tonight. Want to come? We can all catch up after work! I know you haven' talked to him in a while! He keeps asking about you!"

"I text him every now and then but… it's hard to keep up with him when he's in New York one day and halfway across the world the next to negotiate **another** business deal. Man's moved up in the world." Peter explained.

"Aww, I know. But, he still thinks about you. You guys were like the best of friends our last year in Midtown High!"

"True that." Peter smiled to himself, remembering all the mischief him and Harry caused their senior year.

He had personal pictures taped to the wall in his cubicle with all his friends, just to remind him of the memories he's had. It helps get him through the days. He's got some pictures taped up with him and Ava holding hands, smiling and laughing together. There some with him and Harry at some high school party, looking like they were having a great time.

"Did you ever get back in touch with your old friends?" MJ referred to his old team. "It was weird that they all moved away at the same time."

"No, I haven't talked to them in years." Peter tried to avoid the subject.

"What about Ava? Have you been able to find her?"

Peter felt a knot in his throat just from remembering Ava. Although he and MJ tried dating once before, he never developed any actual feelings for her. She understood the fact that he still loved Ava and let it be, remaining his close female friend.

"Nope."

"Weird. Not even a Facebook? Twitter? Instagram?"

He's already scoured the internet looking for any trace of her. She never left any digital footprints that could be traced, probably better that way. Peter couldn't even find a picture of her anywhere on the web.

"Nah, she never had any of that stuff." Peter shrugged, standing up from his desk and picking up the pile of mail he had to deliver to all the employees at the main news floor.

"Aw, well… I'm sorry, Pete."

"It's okay." Peter loaded up his push-cart with the parcels of mail. "We can catch up with Harry after work for sure. Let him know I'll be there!"

"Great! I'll let him know." MJ answered with a smile. "Catch you around, tiger, and **try not** to be late again, please?"

"I'll do my best." Peter assured her, pushing the cart forward and walking out into the office floor where several analysts and news editors were busy at work gathering material for J.J. to broadcast.

Peter dropped off the parcels of each employee as he walked through, knowing most of them and their cubicle numbers by heart now. He always caught them at a bad time and rarely got a **thank you** from any of them. They were always working, of course, so he didn't necessarily blame them for their behaviors.

He stopped by a cubicle to deliver a large box to a rather short man of Hispanic-origin. As he did, he overheard two analysts conversing with each other.

"Did you hear the latest from Mary Jane Watson? One of the two freaks that caused the Manhattan Incident two years ago was trying to rob the First National Bank of Manhattan? Deadpoop, I think his name was?"

"You mean **Deadpool**?! No way! Did the cops catch him?"

"Nah, web-head got in there and did something. One of the officers said he 'took care of him'. But, he never turned up with him. Maybe they're in cahoots?"

"Oh boy, J.J's going to eat this right up."

This stirred Peter's anger. It's hard enough working for the man who goes out of his way to shame Spider-Man, it's even harder to see his reporters actively try to uncover dirt on him, even if it means fabricating it.

After he finished his mail run, his supervisor called him back to his cubicle and told him that J.J. wanted to talk to him personally about his constant tardiness to work. So, he headed on over to Jameson's big office at the other side of the building.

As he turned the silver knob to the anchorman's office, he could already hear his voice booming over the latest addition to his Spider-Man smear-campaign.

" **Spider-Man Helps Terrorist Robber Escape!** " Jameson shouted aloud on the phone. "I want you to start typing up that news article and I want it posted big on our homepage! Type up the story and I'll report it to the city tonight!"

The blue-suited news anchorman irritatingly gestured Peter to sit down in front of his desk as he remained on the phone.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, he's helping out Deadpool alright. He's probably working for R.O.G.U.E. on the back-end too! Ooooh, if only I can label the Spider a domestic terrorist, then we can do some **real damage** and get this clown locked away for good!"

"Give me a break." Peter murmured. Jameson didn't notice.

"Alright, make it quick! I want this story up within the hour!" He ended the conversation by slamming the phone down, redirecting his attention to Peter.

"Ah. Mr. Parker, your supervisor tells me that you've developed a habit of coming in to work late. Today being your fifth offense. This true?" Jameson condescendingly asked.

"It is sir, but-"

" **But nothing** , Parker! There isn't room for excuses!" Jameson stood up from his chair and began pacing about the room, looking out his windows into the New York City skyline.

"You know how hard success is to achieve, Parker? Success is **earned**. You got to work for it, kid. Slacking off and showing up late to work is going to get you **nowhere** in this world! The only reason I'm talking to you now is because your reporter friend, Mary Jane Watson, helped you get this job. She's done great work reporting for the Daily Bugle, after all."

Peter rolled his eyes.

"…But, what am I to make of this? The friend she vouched so hard for can't even show up on-time to work?!" Jameson angrily questioned.

"Mr. Jameson, if I can explain-"

"Pfft, I expect nothing less from a fresh high school graduate who doesn't know **anything** about **hard work**. I didn't make it to the top in one day, kid."

Peter sighed.

"Take this wall-crawling lunatic, Spider-Man, for example. He's a disease on this city! A stain of vigilante justice that's ruining the credibility of our city's finest! You know who people call for when they're getting robbed at night? When their house is on fire? Spider-Man, that's who. Not their policemen, not their firefighters… just **Spider-Man**. And what happens when he doesn't show up? Hmm? They **die!** "

"I don't' see how this is relevant to-"

"Do **you** want to end up **like him** , Parker?! Do you want to end up a wanted criminal? Because if you don't show effort in an actual job **like this** , then you'll end up in the streets! Do you know what kind of people live in the streets, Parker? **Criminals!** "

Peter began tapping his fingers on the arm rest, losing his patience.

Suddenly, he felt a twitch in his head. Faint sounds of people screaming were echoing in the ambience. Jameson didn't seem to be hearing the sounds at all, still going on about Spider-Man. Peter recognized these screams, having heard them somewhere before… but he was becoming too pissed off about what Jameson was saying to care.

"I'm glad that wall-crawler lost his little band of misfits two years ago too! I don't know where they went but it warms my heart to see the red-suited bastard so alone and without friends to count on! That makes him weak, you know? He's nothing but a washed up, overrated, piece of-"

" **Enough already!** " Peter shouted at the top of his lungs in anger, standing up. " **Nobody** cares about your little rant, Jameson!"

"Parker, you little…"

" **I'm done** listening to how much crap you have to say about Spider-Man! You don't have **a clue** of what goes on in his life! You inconsiderate moron!"

Jameson clenched his fists angrily. "How **dare** you speak to me like that, you little **shit!** "

Peter felt a rush of anger pulsate through his veins. The screaming ambience intensified. He began to hear voices in his head. Somebody was calling out to him.

 _ **Yes, Spider-Man, Yes… Unleash your anger on this pathetic human. Show him you're stronger than he makes you out to be. Show him just how dangerous you can be…**_

"I'm calling security to get your ass escorted out of here, Parker." Jameson picked up his phone. "Consider yourself **fired**! I'm going to make sure you **never** find work in any news reporting agency **ever again!** "

Peter balled his fist and approached Jameson, who was looking for the number to contact the building's security in his desk, not noticing Peter approaching behind him.

 _ **Finish him off, Spider-Man…**_

He raised his fist, ready to strike Jameson across the back of his head.

Until suddenly…

" **Peter!** What the **hell** are you doing?!" MJ's voice cried out from the entrance to J.J.'s office.

In that instant, the screaming ambience halted and the voice inside Peter's head went away. In a mix of confused emotions, Peter realized what he was trying to do, and quickly lowered his fist. Jameson quickly turned around the moment MJ cried out, seeing what Peter was attempting to do.

"MJ! I… I don't know what that was all about… I…" Peter stumbled on his words.

MJ walked into the office, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Peter, were you about to **punch** Mr. Jameson?!" MJ questioned. "W-why?!"

"That does it." Jameson calmly yet threateningly put the phone down. " **Ms. Watson,** escort your **friend** off these premises before I have security kick both **you and him** out of here!"

"Mr. Jameson, I'm sure there's an explanation for all of this!" MJ tried to cover for Peter.

"He was trying to **assault** me! He's lucky I'm not pressing charges! **Get him out of here** , Ms. Watson, before you find yourself without a job as well!"

MJ looked back at Peter with the most disappointed look ever. She bit her lip, trying to fight back her emotions.

"I'll… I'll walk **myself** out." Peter finally spoke out. "I… I'm sorry, Mr. Jameson. I really didn't mean to-"

" **Save it** , Parker." Jameson snapped back, crossing his arms. "Pack your crap up off your desk and leave your badge with Ms. Brant."

"Yes…sir." Peter sighed, walking out of the door.

He couldn't bear to see MJ's face as he walked out, he felt the painful rush of guilt rush into his chest. Walking the walk of shame past all of the surprised employees, he made it back to his cubicle. His supervisor had stamped an empty box on his desk so that Parker could get all his stuff out.

Taking a deep sigh, Parker began tearing down his personals and emptying the drawers of all the stuff he owned. The other employees resumed their work, taking the attention off of him for the moment.

"What the hell was that voice I kept hearing?" Peter quietly asked himself. "I could've sworn it sounded like Reaper. Kind of like when he spoke to me on Island M… Gosh, but what the **hell** does that mean?"

He took a pause as he tore off a picture of him and Ava, holding it tenderly before putting it into the cardboard box.

"…And here I thought Reaper was gone for good." Peter shook his head.

One of the last pictures he tore off was that of him and Dr. Strange, shaking hands at his graduation from Midtown High. In that moment, he realized something.

"Dr. Strange! **He'd** be able to help me figure it out!"

He looked around to make sure nobody heard him. Finishing up on packing, he dropped his Daily Bugle badge to Betty Brant and officially left his employment at Daily Bugle Communications, just in time to hear J.J's report on Deadpool's bank robbery.

Turning the corner, he began making his way back to his apartment in Gramercy, trying to figure out how he was going to fix things with MJ before dinner with her and Harry that night.

* * *

 _Hours after the meeting, flying over the United States, en-route to the Sanctuary…_

Specter Haven left shortly after Fury dismissed them, following his orders to **resume** their normal operations at their Sanctuary before they were called on again to join him at the Manhattan Peace Talks in two weeks' time.

On-board their borrowed Quinjet, Phantom had taken the helm from Wolfe who had flown it across the ocean and let his hunter specter take a rest while he flew the rest of the way to New York. Meanwhile, Fox meditated in her seat and Firewalker lay sprawled out on the metal floor listening to music and covering his face with his hood.

Once Wolfe was asleep and busy snoring, Fox took a pause from her meditation and glanced over at the pilot's seat and made sure Phantom was well out of earshot right before she gently tapped on Firewalker's shoulder to wake him up.

His eyes lit up with small flames in his pupils when he awoke, lazily removing his hood and sitting up on the floor. Yawning before looking up at Fox, he shot her a tired expression.

"What up, Fox? We there yet?" He yawned once more.

"No, sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I just… I wanted some advice before we got back to the Sanctuary." She politely told him, getting off her seat and kneeling down next to him on the floor.

He politely removed his headphones and looked at her, shaking his head to wake himself up.

"What's up?"

"You've been with women a lot, right? I mean, how do **you** **know** when she's interested? What kind of signs does she show?"

Firewalker let out a small chuckle and glanced over at the pilot seat. "This about you trying to hook up with Phantom, right?"

"Not **hook up** , per say, but…"

"Just show him support, girl. Show him you care."

"I've been doing that for **two years** , Firewalker! I don't know what much else I can do to make him get the hint that I'm… that I'm interested." She stammered.

"Have you tried telling him how you feel?"

"I haven't exactly done that yet, no." She sighed. "But, I'm not sure if what I feel is **love** but… I do know that I really care about him. I'm worried he might not feel the same."

Firewalker smiled, shaking his head and looking down to his smartphone, scrolling through his music playlist. "You know, as clever as that dude is, Phantom is kinda clueless when it comes to love. I don't think that man's made love in like… what… two decades now?"

"It's not all about that, Firewalker."

"Well…" Firewalker shrugged. "You got to remember that Phantom hasn't been looking for love for a while now. Maybe you've got to be more assertive."

"Assertive? How? Ooh, maybe I can make him breakfast one day? Or… maybe ask him to join me on a walk?"

"That's not really assertive. That's just being nice." Firewalker argued, placing a hand at his goatee. "Hmm… Maybe you should do something **really nice** for him!"

Fox sighed. "…Like what?"

"That's for you to figure out, girl. I'm not the one trying to date him."

"Oh, you're no help!" She pouted. "What, you expect me to show up in his room wearing nothing but a silk robe and ask him to bed me? Is that assertive enough?"

"Nah, he's too respectful for that." Firewalker chuckled. "And **you** **just** said it wasn't about the sex."

"I know. I was joking."

"Uh-huh, sure you were."

"I'd **never** do that! That seems something a desperate woman would do."

"Oh, and **you're** not being desperate right now?" Firewalker sarcastically asked.

"No!"

Firewalker didn't seem too convinced.

"Look, it's no secret that both you and Wolfe **know** how I feel about Phantom. Now, I don't really trust Wolfe with this, but… You think **you** can ask Phantom how he feels about me?"

The flaming specter furrowed his eyebrow.

"You want **me** to ask Phantom about **you**? Jeez, girl, you're back in high school again asking me to do this."

"Please, I can't move forward without knowing how he feels."

"Alright, alright, you owe me, though." Firewalker pointed at her. "Phantom can sniff out a lie a mile away. You better pray I can silver tongue the shit out of that conversation."

"Thank you, Firewalker." She smiled. "I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah." He laid back down, pulling his hood over and resuming his music.

At that moment, Phantom got up from his pilot's seat and walked over to grab a thermos full of his valued tea from his pack. Fox watched him as he pulled his mask up over his mouth so that he could drink it in. As he finished, he glanced over to her and noticed that she was watching him.

She quickly looked away and waited a few seconds before slowly peeking back from the corner of her eye. He had placed his thermos back in his pack and sat back down on the pilot's seat to resume flying.

"He's so clueless." Fox calmly said to herself, resuming her meditation.

From the pilot seat, Phantom looked over his shoulder back at Fox, watching her meditate with her legs crisscross on her seat. He looked at her with a confused expression shortly before looking back to the front.

"…clueless about what?" He curiously asked himself.

* * *

 _At Peter's apartment later that day…_

After the long walk back to his apartment in Gramercy, Peter put away all the stuff he had from his cubicle and made his way to the pay phone out in the street to make a few calls. Now that he was out of a job, he was going to have to make an appointment with the employment office to see if he can scrounge up another job.

But, before that, he made tried to contact Dr. Strange at his secret manor, having kept his contact information from all those years back. After the incident at the Daily Bugle, he wanted to know if his old principal could help him out with the voice in his head.

He dialed the number, no answer.

He tried reaching him at Midtown High. The secretary that picked up told Peter that Principal Strange was called out on business earlier in the day.

"Jesus, it's impossible to get in touch with that man." Peter sighed, pushing another set of quarters into the pay phone to make another call.

"Hopefully I can get in touch with him before… whatever that freak-out at the Bugle was… happens again."

Peter dialed the next number, inching closer in the small phone booth to avoid getting soaked from the light rain that had begun to fall around him.

"Hello, Parker residence!" A cheery woman answered on the other end.

"Aunt May, it's Peter." Peter greeted her, relieved to hear from her after so long.

"Ahh, Peter! How are you, sweetie? You haven't called me or came to visit me in several weeks now! Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine, Aunt May. Really, I am. I was just checking in. How's everything going?"

"Good, Peter, good! I've booked my trip to go to Europe in four months' time! I don't know if I mentioned it to you!" She happily told him. "I was finally able to save up enough money from all those bingo and poker nights for my trip!"

"Oh man, that's awesome Aunt May! Isn't Europe where you and Uncle Ben had wanted to go for your honeymoon?"

She sighed. "Yeah, that's why I'm going there, Pete. We never had enough when we got married so… at least, I can now go. But, don't worry! He'll be with me… in spirit."

"Great to hear, Aunt May."

"What about you, dear? How's work? Have you spoken to Harry and MJ?"

"Oh, work's fine." Peter lied. "I'm actually going out to see them tonight. They're dating now."

"Aww, that's good. I'm happy to hear that! What about you? Have you been able to reach Ava?"

Peter gritted his teeth. He had lied to Aunt May about where Ava had gone two years back, having told her that Ava had gone to study abroad in Spain and that they were maintaining a long-distance relationship for two years off-and-on. He did it so that Aunt May wouldn't worry about how he felt, leaving it to deal with his emotions on his own.

"Yeah. She's doing all right. I hope." Peter solemnly answered.

"Well, wherever she is in the world now, I hope she's got you on her mind, sweetie."

"Me too."

They spoke on the phone for a few more minutes, Aunt May asking Pete to have dinner with her sometime before she headed out on her trip to Europe. Peter assured her that he would soon.

Opening his door back into his apartment, he was caught off-guard by the presence of a black-suited person staring at the pictures at his bedside. The stranger had his back facing Peter, with his head lowered to view one of the framed pictures.

"Uhm… I'm sorry but who the **hell** are you and what are you doing here?!" Peter angrily questioned, slamming the door shut behind him.

The stranger turned to look at him. It was Harry.

"That's no way to greet your old pal now is it, Pete?" Harry asked with a smile, placing the frame down.

"Holy hell, what's up Harry?!" Peter calmed down and approached Harry and gave him a bro-hug.

"Jesus, Pete. You were ready to knock me out or what?" Harry laughed. "Try locking your door next time."

"Awh, well you know, we can't all live it up in a fancy high-rise penthouse with state of the art security." Peter smirked.

"I suppose you're right."

"So, would you like a drink or…?" Peter rushed to the kitchen area in his apartment.

"No need, Pete. I just thought I'd drop by before our dinner tonight."

Peter then realized that MJ must've told Harry about what happened at the Bugle. He felt an instant rush of guilt for placing MJ's career at jeopardy and maybe Harry was here to straighten him out.

"Listen, Harry… about what happened today at the Bugle…"

"Don't worry about it, Pete. MJ told me what happened. **Man** , would it have been **nice** if you actually knocked out old man Jameson!" Harry laughed.

"Wait, so you're not mad?"

"Mad about what? How can I be mad about you almost knocking that Spider-Man obsessed clown off of TV?"

"Well, I almost put MJ out of a job!"

"Yeah? Well they'd be **crazy** to fire her. She's the best damn reporter they got. If Jameson didn't hog the anchorman position, she'd have **his** job by now. Plus, she's **with me** now. I can put Jameson out of business if I wanted to! Don't stress it, Pete!" Harry assured him.

"I guess… if you put it that way…"

Harry approached him and gently gripped Peter's shoulder. "Relax, Pete. We'll talk about what **I** can do for **you** at Oscorp. I'll tell my executives to find the right kind of job for you and we can get you out of this small apartment and into a **real** income."

Peter had flashbacks of his run-in with Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin. Knowing Oscorp's past with utilizing chemical weapons and their shady business with members of the Sinister Six, Peter preferred passing up the job offer.

"You're too kind, Harry, but I'm not sure if I'll be fit for that kind of–"

"Ah, don't bullshit me, Pete. MJ **said** you were interested in some work. I'd be more than happy to help." Harry glanced at his expensive watch. "Ah, crap, I've got a meeting to get to. Here's the address of the restaurant we're meeting at. Seven tonight, alright, Pete? Don't worry about the bill, I got it."

Harry handed Peter a business card to the restaurant before rushing out the door.

"Take it easy, Pete!"

"You too, Harry." Peter watched him leave and looked down at the business card. "… A **French** restaurant, huh?"

Peter then began looking through his small wardrobe of fancy attire to see what would be good enough to wear at a fancy French restaurant. He then spotted the black dress shirt that he wore on the first date he had with Ava at that Latin restaurant. He bitterly held it up, realizing that he hadn't worn it since then.

"I guess this is as good a dress shirt as any." He sighed. "White undershirt? Check. Blue jeans? Check. It's not fancy, but it's all I got!"

* * *

 _Midday at Alpha Base, inside the Main Conference Room…_

Nick Fury spared no time after getting patched up, re-immersing himself in the matters of tactical operations, this time with R.O.G.U.E. working against S.H.I.E.L.D. His knowledge of how the operational and political infrastructure of S.H.I.E.L.D. worked proved useful for R.O.G.U.E., targeting vital areas for infiltration and espionage.

Even with spies and soldiers at their disposal, information had become the name of the game. With total war being possibly waged between the two factions, information was a vital commodity. The more they knew about their enemy, the better their chances would be should it come to that.

In the conference room, Fury and Hill discussed the topics and arguments that would be brought up to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the American dignitaries at the Manhattan Peace Talks, while Coulson kept a close eye on the reports being fed to him from their spies at S.W.O.R.D., who were monitoring Asteroid M with a magnifying glass at this point, following the unknown increase in activity.

"The biggest issue will be their blatant discrimination against mutant-kind." Hill stated, reviewing another report. "Around the world, S.H.I.E.L.D. has begun to kidnap mutants. Men, women, and children included, and sending them to undisclosed black sites, kind of like the camp you were kept prisoner at. The mutants stateside are transferred to Xavier's Institute."

Fury studied the report, scratching at his goatee. "Do we know what they're doing at these sites?"

"They're **concentration camps** , Fury." Coulson spoke out. "They haven't started **killing** anyone from what we can tell yet, but the mutants can't leave the camps for anything. One of our spies that we've placed say they're being mistreated and forced to do labor work."

"Jesus Christ, Sitwell, what have you done?" Fury murmured under his breath. "This isn't the S.H.I.E.L.D. that I led. How can our agents be okay with doing this?"

"Well…" Hill sighed. "Sitwell's been doing **a lot** of reorganization these past few years, Fury. Most of the agents that served with you are gone, retired, "disappeared", or came to work with us."

"What the hell? Who did he replace them with?"

"Most of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have been transferred from S.T.R.I.K.E." Coulson answered, keeping his eyes glued to his laptop.

Fury raised a brow.

" **We know**." Coulson read his mind. "We hatched up a theory that Sitwell might be working with **Hydra**."

"God **damn it**." Fury cursed under his breath. "Do you two have **any idea** what that means if that's the case?"

"It's still just a theory but… it would make sense." Hill sighed. "Everyone who trusted you, who wouldn't have dreamt of doing something this insane are gone. There is literally **nobody** that stands up against Sitwell within the agency now, his orders are law."

Fury clenched his teeth. "Phantom's going to have to try to keep me from tearing out Sitwell's throat at those talks."

"You can't lose your temper, boss. It's not over yet." Coulson assured him.

Suddenly, a notification popped up on Coulson's laptop. It was another report from their spies in S.W.O.R.D. It was labeled **Top Secret**. As he opened it, it was revealed to be video footage from what appeared to be the helmet-cam on a S.W.O.R.D. agent.

Coulson investigated the report further. The footage was recovered from their "missing" patrol ships that investigated Asteroid M up close.

"Director, Nick, I think you both should see this." Coulson pulled up the video feed on the hologram projector on the table, the three of them placing their full attention to it.

The S.W.O.R.D. agent was behind a team of other agents, fully armed and in white space-suited armor. They were pointing their weapons at what appeared to be an airlock port within the ship. It was dim, with a red flash of light spinning overhead. It was obvious that there was an emergency and they were preparing to be attacked.

"We're being boarded, men! Prepare to fire back!" One of the agents shouted out. "Whatever happens, **keep fighting**! We'll survive as long as we keep fighting!"

All of a sudden, the airlock burst open, flooding the room they were in with black smoke. The agents began firing their laser weapons into the smoke, hoping to hit something, unleashing a barrage of laser-fire into the unknown.

Once they had finished their string of fire, the lighting went out, and left the agents in pitch darkness. They began to panic in fear.

"Holy shit, I can't see man!"

"What the hell, I think there's somebody here!"

"Keep it together, men!"

Then, a flash of bright red electric light burst through the room, appearing to have originated from a hand beyond the airlock. It seemed to have silently killed the agents with the sound of their armor clanking to the ground shortly after.

The lighting returned soon after, revealing that the electricity had killed the agents, as well as the agent whom the helmet-cam was on. The electricity seemed to had fried through their armor, burning a hole in their chests.

However, the helmet-cam was still facing the airlock.

From the darkness of the black smoke, two dark figures emerged. The first one was a tall, fearsome-looking individual. He wore a black-cloaked armor that covered his entire body, its metal engraved with bones and skulls. He wore a black hood, his face in complete darkness save for two bright purple eyes and the exposed skin of his hands were as pale as paper.

The other dark figure was easily recognizable. He had black and silver armor covering his chest, legs, and arms, with two distinguishable metallic bracers covering his forearms. Two of the six Infinity Gems were crested on the bracers. They flashed yellow and red.

A long black cape draped over his left shoulder. And the most recognizable feature was his helmet. It had a skull mask crested on a black helmet with silver horns sticking up from the top that made the entire headpiece appear to be a demonic crown.

"Reaper…" Coulson murmured to himself, realizing who the crowned figure was.

"Ugh… It looks like S.W.O.R.D. has stuck their nose in our business, **Tombstone**." Reaper spoke in a deep, whisper-like and raspy tone to his bone-armored ally.

Tombstone didn't respond. Coulson remembered that he was the only mutate of the **Les Echets** that couldn't speak. He was one of the more powerful mutates.

 **Les Echets** were the other mutates that were created in Magneto's series of experiments alongside **Athena-Class** , which created Phantom, Wolfe, White Fox, and Firewalker. There were twenty subjects, half of them joining Magneto's forces, the other half joining Specter Haven. Each of them was unique, with their own special set of abilities.

"This will complicate our operations. See if we can still use these bodies, Tombstone. Salvage these ships and send them back into space. Make sure that there is no trace that they were attacked." Reaper ordered.

Tombstone nodded in response.

The helmet-cam faded off into static shortly after. The footage left the three of them in shock, unsure of what to do next. Fury was left silent, pondering his own thoughts.

" **That** was **Reaper** …" Coulson stated to Fury. "…Phantom's alter-ego from the future."

"Jesus Christ…" Fury was beyond confused. "…why is he wearing a crown?"

"I can explain the crown…" Coulson pointed out, rewinding the footage to where they could see the crowned helmet in full. "The **skull-mask** looks like it belonged to **Taskmaster** , who if you didn't already know, was killed by Reaper two years ago. The **helmet** has edged designs near the visor, indicating that it belonged to **Magneto**."

"I thought Deadpool had stolen Magneto's helmet?" Hill skeptically asked.

"Yes, he did. Then, he sold it on the black market. It looks like Reaper was able to find it and make his own modifications to it, adding the silver horns and making a crown out of it." Coulson answered.

"Talk about having an ego…" Hill murmured.

"It makes sense…" Fury then spoke. "Taskmaster betrayed Magneto, so he wears the **mask of the traitor**. Magneto was his former master, so he wears the **helmet of the master**. I'd say Reaper's trying to make a point by wearing a crown."

"What would that point be?" Coulson curiously asked.

Fury stared at Reaper's dark image on the footage.

"We **need** to reunify S.H.I.E.L.D… and we need to do it **soon**. I have a feeling that Reaper's going to come back and bring with him a reign of terror… one that will bring an end to all of humanity. Phantom's right to want to address Asteroid M sooner."

"Dear god…" Hill gasped.

"Coulson, when is the soonest that Parker will be with us?" Fury then asked.

"I've contacted Dr. Strange to pick him up for us. We'll see the both of them soon." Coulson assured him.

"Good." Fury nodded. "I have a feeling that we'll need to keep the web-slinger close… especially after everything he's been through."

Director Hill and Agent Coulson agreed. They continued with what they would bring up at the talks, involving now the increased risk of Reaper's return to Earth. They waited for Spider-Man's arrival before they decided the next step before the talks.

* * *

 _Later that night at La Grenouille in Manhattan…_

After changing into his dinner night attire with Harry and MJ, Peter packed up his costume into a small backpack and took a cab over to East 52nd Street, across the street from the Olympic Tower and walked into a beautiful fairly lit room filled with tables topped with white tablecloths and flower assortments. It looked too fancy for Peter's taste, but he didn't mind.

The waiter walked Peter to where Harry and MJ were sitting. They were both dressed for the occasion, Harry with a fancy all-black suit and tie while MJ wore a little black dress with black heels. She had done her make-up and Harry smelled of the latest expensive cologne.

All while avoiding the topic of what happened at the Daily Bugle, the three of them chatted up on what they were doing now, reminiscing on the old days at Midtown High, and what they were expecting out of their futures. Harry did most of the talking while MJ laughed or added her own words to a certain subject.

When the food came out, Peter was amazed as to how great the food was, trying not to look at the pricing at the same time. Harry continued to talk while enjoying his dish.

"And so, I told Mr. Stark, 'listen, Iron Man, I **know** you're hurting for engineers. Let's work on a project to make the **perfect** human exoskeleton that can be used in combat that'll cheap enough for the military to use. The age of flak and kevlar will be **over**!'" Harry ranted on about Oscorp's latest business deal with Stark Industries.

"And he just bought it, no problem?" Peter skeptically asked.

"He did, buddy! He knows he can't do an exoskeleton design without me! Hell, he's been so wrapped up working on his new Iron Man suits that he just throws money at the project. More money for me, I'd say." Harry shrugged with a smile.

"That mean you can get Parker a job?" MJ asked in a smug tone as she took another sip of her water.

Peter gave her a disapproving frown.

"Oh yeah! Like we talked about earlier, Pete, **I think** there's a **perfect** place for you at Oscorp. You were a science wiz after all. I can make sure you're well paid, we'll help you get funded through college, get health insurance… and dental, of course."

"That's… very kind, Harry. But, I was kind of **joking** when I told MJ that I'd work with you."

MJ looked surprised. "Jesus, Pete, **really**? You just got **fired** today and you don't want to accept that job offer?!"

"It's alright, MJ. Let him speak." Harry vouched for Peter. "What's up, bud?"

Peter sighed. "Look guys, I know I screwed up today at the Daily Bugle. I don't know what the **hell** got into me today. I really don't. But, I don't think working at a major corporation is the right way I want to go."

In truth, Peter wanted the job, but he knew he'd end up being too busy to keep up his duty of being Spider-Man, a responsibility he **refused** to give up, even if it was closing every open opportunity for him in his life as Peter Parker.

"I mean, what about college, Pete? What are you doing to work towards that?" MJ curiously asked. "I mean, I'm not full-time, but I still get my classes done after work but you?"

"I got **stuff** going on, MJ."

"Doing what, Pete?" She crossed her arms. "We're your **friends** , Pete. You can tell us."

Peter hesitated to answer, twirling his food around with his fork.

"Come on, Pete, what could you be doing that takes up most of your time?" Harry jokingly asked. "Are you working on college? You dating someone new? It's someone new isn't it?"

"No, he's still looking for Ava, Harry." MJ quickly corrected him.

"Ava? Jesus Christ, Peter, you're still waiting on that girl to walk back into your life? You're still young, buddy! There's plenty of other fish out there, trust me." Harry tried to convince Peter otherwise.

Peter held his tongue at that moment in time. He didn't think Harry would understand how much Ava meant to him. Although Harry, MJ, and him were close, they just didn't understand all the built-up emotion that Peter had held in for the past two years.

He wanted to tell them the truth about who he was and what he did. Maybe then they'd understand. Or maybe they'd find something else to ridicule him for.

"I… I can't really explain…" Peter stammered.

"Come on, Peter, you could tell us." Harry kept pushing on.

Peter covered his face with his hands, trying to gather his thoughts. He lost himself in thoughts of being with his team again. With Luke, Danny, Sam… Ava. He found comfort in remembering the good times he had with them. Then, he remembered the moment they were separated. He remembered the unyielding hatred he had for Sitwell.

At that moment, he began to hear the screams in his head again. He felt a sudden rush of anger pulsate through his veins. He panicked.

"Just, **leave me alone**!" Peter shouted at them, balling his hands up in fists.

"Whoa, Peter, calm down, man!" Harry stood up from his chair. "Let's… let's take a walk outside, Pete, get some fresh air."

" **No!** "

Peter started to hear the voice again.

 _ **He doesn't really want to help you, Spider-Man. He doesn't care about your struggles… All he cares about is spending his father's money.**_

At this point, the other people in the restaurant had turned their attention to Peter's display of rage. The waiters were walking over.

"Peter, you're causing a scene! Please calm down!" MJ urged him to calm down.

 _ **Unleash your power, Spider-Man, show them that you deserve to be respected.**_

"Grrrragh!" Peter flipped the table over, throwing the dishes and flowers over. " **I deserve respect!** "

"Sir, please, we're going to have to ask you to leave!" One of the waiters insisted.

"Someone call the police!" Another one of them called out to the other restaurant-goers.

"Peter, please. Just let us help!" Harry continued.

"No… **No!** " Peter shouted back.

All of a sudden, Peter felt a sharp pain hit his side. He began to lose consciousness, falling backwards onto the carpeted floor.

His last sight was that of a black suited man with a blackened gray beard and a distinguishable golden eye-like amulet around his neck. He was holding his hand out towards Peter, channeling some sort of green mystical energy around him right before he passed out into darkness.

"Stay calm, Spider-Man." Dr. Strange's voice echoed in the darkness.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey everyone! Sorry I took so long to update again! As I said, I was busy from the 13-17, didn't get the chance to update that weekend, and my parents came to visit this past week, so I had to handle that while they were here. However, I took the time to read, re-read the chapters, read stories in the community, and (of course) update this chapter! :D

Please let me know what you guys think of it so far, I know it was a lot packed into the chapter, things moving fast, but I'm trying to get to the good parts to the story! Let me know if the pace is too fast or if it's the right amount!

Also, I've read the reviews and understand that you guys really want to know the status of everyone else in the team. I had originally planned to re-introduce them later on, but I realized it would've made the story like Specter Haven and we would have to wait chapters until we saw them at all. I'm dedicating the whole next chapter to the team and where they are! I hope you guys enjoy that!

I have a few stories to endorse here… I recommend reading **Rise of the Copycat** and **return of the Copycat** , both by **Kayla DeLana** , and two very popular stories who deserve a shout out, **Love in Hopeless Places** by **Felicity Dream** and **Animal Instincts:Infected Humanity** by **OfficialUSMWriter**. If you guys haven't checked them out, I definitely recommend you guys give it a read! :D

Thanks for reading guys, I'll have an update by next weekend for sure! :)

 _ **As always, feedback is appreciated!**_

 _ **Stay tuned for The Team, Separated**_

* * *

 **Reader Responses**

 **Retrokill** : Ahhhh, I know, my friend! I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long for the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! More to come! :O Thanks for the review!

 **The Story's Shadow** : I've got big plans for Cable & Deadpool for this one, man. Cable's time-travelling abilities will have an effect on the plot and Deadpool's relationship with Death will play a major role as well! That's later on, though! Haha, yeah, definitely steamy between those two! What did you think of Reaper's new look in this chapter? Thanks for the review, my friend! Hope you enjoyed it! :D

 **Sport21** : I definitely can't wait for the Manhattan Peace Talks chapter! I'm pretty sure Fury and Sitwell have a lot to clash about, especially after Fury's imprisonment!

Definitely, Phantom and Spidey go way back after all, lol.

I've actually a plan involving that, but it won't be Spidey that she'll be saving. You'll see what I mean. :) Thanks for the review, my good friend! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **Jetcore** : Thank you, my friend! These past two weeks have kept me busy, but I hope I packed in enough content for you guys this time around! I appreciate your kind words! I'll get back to your PM ASAP. Let me know what you thought of this one! Thanks for the review! :D

 **The Night Hunter** : Oh boy, if you only knew what's in store for the rest of the story, my friend! I'm doing my best to get to the major parts of the story where Reaper puts his master plan in motion and they're racing against the clock to stop him. If _Vanquished Revenants_ goes as well as _Specter Haven_ and _The Phantom_ , this will end up the crown jewel of the trilogy! Thanks for the review, my friend! :D

 **ArtemisBAMF1218** : I thank you for your detailed review, my friend! I appreciate every review from the community but I enjoy it even more when a reader takes their time to write out a good bit for the writer to read from. I thank you once more for that! :D

I definitely want Specter Haven to act more like a family now that they've spent two years together, so their interactions with each other is closer, and they understand each other on a deeper level.

I'm pretty sure Phantom had to bite his pride to admit to Fury that he was wrong, but it means Phantom's improving as a person! :D Selena will make an appearance soon!

Ah, I'm glad you see that! Phantom and Fox are so similar with everything they've been through, it's almost like they were meant for each other, you know? Not to be too cliché, but I want her to try to grab his attention, so that he knows how she exactly feels.

I'll update on the team in the next chapter! :D

Pushy? No, no, my friend! Not at all! I'm **so** sorry it took two weeks for me to update! Life's kept me busy and all, I hope I didn't keep anyone waiting for so long! I'm doing my best to avoid a hiatus with this story! If I can help it!

I actually listened to that song by Halsey a good bit and I actually felt the same vibe you did in regards to Ava's appearance! It's inspiring her section in the next chapter, so I thank you immensely for that! :D

Thanks for the review! :)

 **Death Fury** : I'm hoping to get back to my normal routine of updating now that I'm free from the busyness of the past two weeks! Thanks for the review, my friend! I hope you enjoyed this one!

 **Man285** : I really appreciate your kind words, my friend! That really means a lot that you think that! It motivates me to keep writing! :D I promise I won't let you down on that one! I didn't think about doing that for a second with her part in the story! Thanks for the review! :)


	5. The Team, Separated

_**The Team, Separated**_

* * *

 _Midnight inside the medical platform on-board Alpha Base…_

Dr. Strange arrived late that night to R.O.G.U.E.'s Headquarters via a Quinjet that was stationed outside of New York City. He brought with him an unconscious Peter Parker in his arms, whom he had to knock-out using his magical abilities during Peter's freak-out at the French restaurant he was at with his friends Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson.

R.O.G.U.E. agents immediately took Parker into their medical platform to assess his condition and diagnose what was wrong with him, even though Dr. Strange had already sensed a far greater problem within the recesses of Peter's mind.

As he waited outside of Peter's room in the hospital-like corridors, Director Hill, Nick Fury, and Phil Coulson appeared from the corner of the hallway and urgently rushed to where Peter's room was.

"He's being looked at by the medical doctor now, dear friends." Dr. Strange calmly spoke aloud to grab their attention.

"Dr. Strange, so great to see you again! W-what's happened with Parker?" Coulson worriedly asked.

Fury and Hill directed their attention to the Sorcerer Surpreme as well, nodding their greetings to Strange. It was informal, but he understood that they were probably awakened in their sleep as he arrived.

Strange looked ahead through the window into the room where Peter was being looked at, sighing to himself, and scratching his beard in thought.

"I frankly don't know." He finally said. "I followed him to the restaurant when he left his apartment. I had hoped to speak to him before his dinner went underway but, I decided to leave him be with his friends before I asked him to leave with me. Then, something happened with him. He began to panic, yelling at his friends to leave him alone and to **respect** him."

Fury raised a brow at hearing this testimony from Strange.

"What in the world?" Hill crossed her arms.

"I had to stop him. I calmed him down but had to knock him out in order for his bout of insanity to stop. I'll have to tell you, **that** was a magic trick that was hard to keep a secret from a restaurant full of on-lookers." Strange continued. "I pulled him out of the situation and brought him here as soon as I could."

"Thank you, Dr. Strange, you have no idea how much that means to us that you went out of your way to retrieve him for us." Fury modestly thanked him.

"It's my pleasure, Nick Fury, and nice to see you back with us after that whole mess being a prisoner for two years. How are you feeling?"

"Better than Parker, at the moment." Fury glanced back into Peter's room.

"Did you examine him yourself on your way over here?" Coulson then asked Strange.

"I did. It… was disturbing." Strange explained. "I've seen it a few times before in both Peter and Sam years ago. There appears to be a separate entity trying to **communicate** with Peter… and… in doing so, he's strongly influencing Peter's behavior and actions. A lot of it is still unknown to me, I'd have to thoroughly search his mind in order to find the source of the issue."

"It's a quick fix, then? You enter his mind and remove this **entity** from it?" Hill asked.

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple. This **entity** , whatever it is, **knew** when I was examining Peter. I was able to catch a glimpse of it before it **disappeared**. I'm not sure how exactly to explain it. But something out there is tormenting young Mr. Parker."

"Jesus Christ, kid." Fury murmured to himself, turning his back to Strange to stare into the medical room.

"What did Ms. Watson and Mr. Osborn have to say about it?" Coulson curiously asked. "Did he have this happen before or…?"

"It wasn't easy to convince them that I'd make sure he made it to the hospital alright without them following me. But, from what Ms. Watson said, this happened earlier in the day at the Daily Bugle. He almost assaulted J. Jonah Jameson before she stopped him. All he could say in his defense was that he didn't know what had gone into him and that he couldn't explain it."

"Lord knows how long this has been going on, then. From our understanding, Parker keeps to himself most of the time, with little to no interaction with anyone outside of being Spider-Man on a daily basis." Hill solemnly stated. "I'm **praying** that he's okay."

"You and me both, Director Hill." Strange agreed.

Just then, the medical team assisting the doctor inside Peter's room walked out. The ashen-gray haired medical doctor approached them, writing something on his clipboard and handing it to the attractive nurse next to him.

"Director Hill, gentlemen." He calmly greeted them in a British accent. "I'm pleased to report that Mr. Parker's stable and in perfect medical condition. For the moment, he's resting. At Dr. Strange's request, we'll be keeping him here in the medical wing for further examination for the rest of the week."

Hill, Fury, and Coulson turned to Strange in confusion.

"You're staying, then?" Coulson inquired, receiving a nod in response.

"But, of course! **I am** the **Sorcerer Supreme** , after all. Who else is going to be able to help guide our wall-crawling friend back to the light?"

"What about your duties at Midtown High as Principal?" Coulson sternly asked, crossing his arms.

"After Mr. Parker graduated, my duties were out of kindness, Coulson. I've kept a close **eye** on him since he graduated, and right now, the young man needs my help." Strange confidently told them, gently touching his amulet.

"You're too kind, Dr. Strange. I assume Stark's going to replace you at the school, then? You're not worried S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to try to track you down for working with us?" Hill inquisitively asked.

"He'll probably sell the ownership of the school, honestly. And S.H.I.E.L.D.'s the least of my worries, I don't know if you three have noticed, but there is a gigantic asteroid in the skies. One with a very dangerous mutate and who knows what else. I'd say that warrants a greater worry."

"Trust me, **we've noticed**." Fury irritatingly answered. "…Goddamn rock."

"Well, I'd like to ask for you four to visit tomorrow morning, if possible. Dr. Strange can begin his examinations by then and hopefully we can get rid of whatever Mr. Parker has lurking in his mind." The doctor assured them.

"Thank you, doctor." Coulson thanked him before he left to tend to other patients they had.

"So, what now?" Dr. Strange curiously asked, crossing his arms and looking around.

"We have quarters available for you, if you don't mind life beneath the ocean for a few days while you examine Parker." Coulson kindly offered.

"Thank you, Coulson. I'm grateful. However, I sense that my services may be needed for much longer **after** Mr. Parker is healed."

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

Strange sarcastically chuckled. "With Reaper looming at the horizon, do you honestly think I'll just sit at home and play wizard while R.O.G.U.E., The Avengers, and Specter Haven fight? No sir, I sat out on the last two major confrontations, Dr. Strange is going to help stop this madness this time around."

"Well, that's **one** asset we have going for us." Hill faintly smiled.

They all walked out of the medical platform into the main command platform, where Hill showed Dr. Strange the extent of R.O.G.U.E.'s operations throughout the world. The Sorcerer Supreme was impressed, seeing that the faction had grown into something that truly rivaled S.H.I.E.L.D.'s influence.

"So, how goes the search for Parker's team?" Dr. Strange curiously inquired.

"So far, we've tried investigating every sighting of superhuman displays around the world. They started the investigations two years ago. Until now, there's been nothing." Fury sternly answered him. "We don't even have a **clue** on where to look for them."

"Hmm…"

"You think **you** could help us, Strange?" Fury asked with a hint of hope in his tone.

"Perhaps… I can't **see** them, per say, but I can definitely **sense** where they are."

"How?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was **magic**?" Strange sarcastically asked with a smile at the end of his sentence.

"Well, where do you sense they are?" Hill insistently asked.

Dr. Strange tuned in to his magical powers, communing with the all-seeing Orb of Agamotto, safely tucked away in his pockets, and sought out the locations of Parker's fellow teammates.

" **Power Man** resides somewhere in the United States… in the capital." Strange began. " **Iron Fist** is roaming the countryside of an oriental nation, the land of the rising sun… **Nova** seems to be on some distant planet, far from our galaxy… and **White Tiger** is in a large crowded city, with Christ watching over them, nestled near the jungles of South America… she walks a street within… a favela."

Coulson quickly jotted down the information that Dr. Strange had relayed to them. He calmly pulled himself out of his state of magical oversight, looking back at them.

"Strange this is… this is more information than we've gotten in two years!" Coulson exclaimed.

"I know." Strange smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner… I didn't think to use the Orb of Agamotto until now. Its purpose isn't truly to sense people where they are… but with a little manipulation… I was able to use it for that exact use."

Director Hill quickly sent the information to her field agents around the globe. With the exception of Nova, they were able to close in on a smaller field of search. They now had to search **Washington D.C.** , **Japan** , and **Rio de Janeiro, Brazil** for the other three. It begged the question now as to what they were doing there and not trying to re-join back up with Spider-Man.

* * *

 _Midnight in a back-street in south D.C… (Power Man)_

Police sirens and the sounds of dogs barking filled up the night ambiance in the rougher parts of the nation's capital. Suspicious characters roamed about the streets and shady deals were being made around the block and within condemned buildings. With crime having increased within the neighborhood in the past year, it was given special attention by the police.

In a black 1969 Pontiac GTO sat two characters, one of which an African-American man with short black hair and a goatee. He wore a thin gold chain around his neck and wore a tight black shirt that defined his strong upper body and black jeans.

Next to him was a Caucasian woman with long black-hair and wore a black leather jacket and blue jeans. She had brown eyes and had a violet-shade of lipstick on.

"See anything yet, Lucas?" The woman yawned.

Lucas kept his eyes glued on the front door of the house they were keeping a close eye on further up the street from where they were parked at. Their stakeout session had been going on for days at this point, waiting on one of the neighborhood's biggest drug dealers to show his face.

"Nothing yet, Jessica." Lucas calmly responded, glancing over at her. "Three days and this clown still hasn't left the house… You sure he didn't go through the back?"

"We've got cameras watching the other areas, remember? Unless he dug a tunnel out of the house, the guy's still there. With any luck, he probably overdosed on his own supply and we're just waiting for one of his goons to dump out the body." Jessica sarcastically answered.

"If only." Lucas chuckled, resting his head on the headrest. "What's the next case after this?"

"I didn't bother to look at the pile of folders the detectives at the precinct left us. I think there was a missing persons case that I wanted to look into. But, we've been so wrapped up working this drug bust that I haven't checked." Jessica sighed. "So much work, so little time."

"That's the truth right there." Lucas picked up the disposable cup of coffee he had next to him and took a sip.

"So, when are you planning to see your web-slinging friend up in New York again?" Jessica suddenly brought up. "You keep saying you're going to, but you haven't yet."

Lucas lost himself in a moment, remembering having teamed up alongside Spider-Man a little more than two years ago, fighting alongside him as **Power Man** … a name he **used** to go by.

"Well, I can bet that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been keeping a very close eye on web-head for a while now. They'd probably capture me before I get close to him. I just… I hope he's doing okay." Lucas sternly answered. "I'll see if maybe I can find a way to see him again."

"You should." Jessica urged him. "I can tell you miss your old team a lot."

Lucas sighed. "We can talk about this later, Jessica. I don't want to be reminiscing while we're supposed to be staking this house out."

"Alright, alright, take a chill-pill, Carl." She backed off.

"Thanks."

Suddenly, there was movement at the door. The rotted wooden front door slowly creaked open and a suspicious character walked out. He wore a black beanie, grey hoodie, and black sweatpants and looked to be Caucasian.

"That our guy?" Jessica took a closer look through her a set of binoculars.

The suspect tapped his left pants pocket, feeling for something that resembled a small packet.

"Yep, that's him." Lucas subtly turned the key on the ignition and started the car.

They waited for a moment for the suspect to walk further up the street before following him in the car. They were several meters away from him, so they were doing their best not to look **too** conspicuous.

He stopped at the corner and looked around the intersection, including the direction behind him. This prompted Lucas and Jessica to park in an empty lot to avoid being seen. However, they were still able to maintain a line of sight on him.

"He's setting up the deal." Lucas warned Jessica. "Get your camera ready."

Jessica pulled up a small camcorder and pointed it at where the suspect was standing. There was enough light from the dimly-lit streetlight above him to be able to catch whatever might show up on video.

A few minutes later, a red convertible with its top covered pulled up next to the suspect on the corner. From the driver's side, a gloved hand pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to the suspect. The suspect looked around one more time before reaching into his pocket and handing out a fairly large white-colored packet, sealing the deal with the buyer.

"That's our cue." Jessica alerted Lucas.

In that moment, Lucas revved the engine up and ran full-speed out of the lot, towards the suspect. By now, the suspect had noticed them coming at him, forcing him to make a run for it on the street perpendicular to them. The red convertible started to then drive off at full speed up the street.

"You got the dealer?" Lucas inquired.

Jessica smiled. "You got the buyers?"

"Meet you up in fifteen."

Slamming onto the brakes, Lucas let Jessica get out of the car and began to run after the suspect as fast as she could. Lucas pressed his foot onto the gas and gave chase to the suspects in the red convertible.

The passenger rolled down the window and started to shoot back at Lucas, rounds bursting through the front wind-shield and hitting him in his right arm. Luckily, his unbreakable skin deflected the rounds.

They veered off the road into an empty park and off into the other street where they barely missed two pedestrians. Lucas followed him through the park and made sure he didn't hit anyone on the way.

"Damn, these guys must've played a lot of **Grand Theft Auto**." Lucas chuckled.

The passenger fully stuck his upper-body out the window to try and get a better shot at Lucas. He was wearing a red mask and a white hoodie, his blonde hair sticking out at the top of the mask, and his forearms were exposed, revealing freakishly large hands.

Lucas sped up on the long-stretch of empty road through the neighborhood and drove parallel to the convertible from the right side. The driver noticed this and tried to ram the side of the car into the GTO, breaking off both his side mirror and sending shards of paint off both their cars.

"Shit, I hope the insurance covers that."

The passenger kept shooting at Lucas with his body still sticking out the window from the other side. Lucas then saw a large truck coming through the opposite direction and quickly thought up an idea.

As the two cars approached the truck, Lucas rammed the side of the GTO into the convertible, forcing the driver to edge closer to the side of the lane. He barely missed the truck coming past them but the driver watched in horror as his passenger was hit at full speed by the truck, hearing the **crunch** of his body, and sending him flying out of the car and in the opposite direction.

"He shouldn't have tried to shoot me."

The driver, shocked by his friend having been violently killed by the truck, didn't notice that the road split off into a perpendicular street, and ended up crashing at nearly seventy miles per hour into the building in-front of him.

Lucas stopped the GTO near the crashed convertible, opening his door and walking out into the street, slowly approaching the car. Sirens were heard off in the distance as the police closed in to investigate the car chase.

The driver, barely alive, opened the door of the car and slumped out. Lucas got a full view of him then. He wore a dark-violet mask that covered his whole head, save his eyes and mouth. He had some sort of dark-green coat and dark-violet gloves. In his hand was a steel crowbar.

Lucas crossed his arms at the sight of him, watching the driver crawl through the broken glass on the ground and onto the sidewalk.

"Not really a good day to be buying drugs from drug dealers out in the streets, now is it, Dirk?" Lucas sarcastically asked.

Dirk coughed up a wad of blood and spat it out. " **Go to hell** , Lucas. You and that bitch need to stay out of our business, if you know what's good for you."

"With your superhuman strength, I can't imagine that crash hurt too much, now did it?"

"Y-you killed **Piledriver**!" Dirk grunted. His voice hoarse.

"He'll be fine. He's probably just knocked out. A hospital bill should settle his injuries."

"Damn you, damn you… Lucas."

"Where's the rest of your boys? Bulldozer and Thunderball?"

"Not here." Dirk grunted, feeling for his bloodied up chest.

"Ah, well at least I got **you**." Lucas pulled out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. "Well, Dirk Garthwaite, **Wrecker** , I'm sure the cops will be happy to know why you were buying narcotics at this time of night."

"This is a waste of time, Lucas! The **Wrecking Crew** will rise again! I swear it!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's what you guys always say." Lucas handcuffed him and sat him on the curb.

He turned around to see Jessica land down to the street using her flight ability and throw their drug-dealing suspect to the pavement, handcuffed and gagged.

"Tough chase?" Lucas curiously asked.

"Tougher than yours." Jessica smirked, crossing her arms. "This guy ran through some tight spaces, but he wasn't fast enough in the end."

The drug dealer frantically mumbled through his gag.

D.C. Police showed up moments later and quickly secured the street, taking into custody Wrecker, the drug dealer, and a severely injured Piledriver. One of the sergeants approached Lucas and Jessica after they cleared out the suspects. Jessica made sure to hand them the video tape evidence of the buy.

"Well, at least you two didn't cause **too** much damage this time." The older cop told them. "But, we got a wanted suspect into our custody and his buyers. So, job well done, you two."

"Don't worry, we'll collect the bounty in the morning." Jessica smirked. "I think it'll be **triple** now, since we also caught Wrecker and Piledriver in the mix."

The sergeant sighed. "You guys at Alias are a bunch of pirates, you know that?"

"We do our best." Lucas grinned.

"Very well, I'll let my chief know. Thanks again, Ms. Jones and Mr. Lucas."

"All in a day's work." Jessica assured him.

They drove back to their offices in Alexandria, Virginia, where Lucas had to drop off the GTO at the mechanic to get the side fixed after the car chase. Back at work at **Alias Private Investigators** , Lucas quickly wrote up the paperwork for the bounty and handed it to Jessica.

"Let's deal with this later, Carl. Want to grab some breakfast and coffee?" Jessica yawned.

"Jessica, it's almost five in the morning, I'm ready to get some rest before having to come back **here** in a few hours." Lucas protested.

"Oh, come on, boy! I **know** that means you're just going to go hit the gym and drink your protein! Come on, my treat."

Lucas sighed. "Alright, alright. But, it better not be donuts again. We're private investigators, not cops."

"I like the term **bounty hunters** more." Jessica humored him.

"Come on then, **Jessica Jones**." Lucas beckoned her, walking out the entrance to their office space.

"Alright, **Carl Lucas** , I'm going!" Jessica grabbed her keys and walked out with him. "Oh, and sorry about your car, we'll use **mine** next time for the stakeout."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll hold you to that."

They walked out into the parking lot with Jessica unlocking the doors to her white Ford Mustang GT. Lucas got into the passenger side while she turned the car on and rolled out towards the local pancake house.

On the way over, Lucas thought about what Jessica had mentioned earlier, about Spider-Man. Over the time that they knew each other, Lucas trusted her with that information. She, being a mutate herself, understood what Lucas was going through and ensured she kept his secret safe.

Despite his new career, Lucas missed his old team, scarcely believing that it had been two years since he last saw them. In retrospect, it was only a short amount of time, but the world had changed drastically since then. With a wanted man like himself being sought after by S.H.I.E.L.D., he couldn't go far into trying to locate Danny, Sam, and Ava.

He knew however, that Spidey was still catching bad guys in New York City. It tormented him thinking of all the emotional pain the web-slinger must've gone through without his friends. He wished there was some way he could reach out to him and let him know that Luke Cage was still there for him. But, S.H.I.E.L.D. kept a close eye out for him. It was no use in trying just to get caught.

Lucas also thought of Selena Escobar, Phantom's daughter, who had been kidnapped and experimented on by Reaper during the final battle at Island M two years ago. Having been such a close friend and a romantic crush to him, he did his best to locate her after the team had been separated. But, she had disappeared without a trace. The trail went cold.

"What are you thinking about, big guy?" Jessica broke his line of thought after being so silent.

"You already know the story. I don't feel like repeating it again."

"You really need to go see him, Carl." Jessica referred to Spider-Man. "I'll go with you if you want."

Lucas thought about it for a moment, thinking of the risks that would accompany seeing Spidey again.

"We'll see…" Lucas finally answered.

* * *

 _Early afternoon in the Kyushu region of Japan… (Iron Fist)_

A light rain sparsely quenched the thirst of the green land that rolled with humble hills and miles of plains that spread across the mystical region of Kyushu. The sun, visible beyond the clouds, finally spread its radiance across the land. Bringing with it a fair amount of heat, a blessing to the resources that grew in the countryside.

The sounds of birds chirped on the trees and the sounds of dogs barked in the distance from small villages and farms that dotted the land. Small trucks passed by a lone dirt road that connected two neighboring villages, carrying with them commodities to trade between them and further on to the larger towns and cities.

On this dirt road walked two strangers. One of them was fairly taller than the other. He was Caucasian, his hair long and blond and his eyes green and clear. He had a small amount of stubble growing around his jaw and his face beaded with sweat from the heat, covered by the grace of his do'un conical hat.

He wore a faded olive-green shirt that had a black symbol of a dragon and worn brown trousers, wearing geta sandals at his bare feet. He carried with him a sack full of his belongings with his strong bare hands.

The shorter man next to him was Japanese. He wore a black tai-chi uniform made of a soft and breathable material with matching pants and shoes. He was a very old man, his short hair white and his skin aged with wrinkles. The most defining feature of the man were his eyes, the pupils were white, glossy with cataracts, indicating his blindness.

He walked next to the blond man with his hands behind his back, as a custom in his culture.

"How much farther, **Master Izo**?" The blond man calmly asked with his voice soft but deep.

"Not far now, Daniel-san." The old man calmly answered. "You must be patient."

"I **am** patient, master. This is just farther than the last village we visited." Danny protested. "You are sure that you would not rather ask for transportation from one of these vehicles?"

" **No**!" Master Izo grunted. "We must walk the path. We must place ourselves in the same situation that the common people find themselves in. Do you prefer to take short-cuts through life in the same fashion?"

"No, master." Danny's voice died down from protest.

"I understand your grief, Daniel-san. But, this is all a part of your lesson of life. These people need help. It is one thing to master your chi, it is another to understand humility. This is all a part of your **training**."

"I… understand, master."

"We are almost there." Izo faintly smiled as they approached the village.

They entered the hidden village that was nestled between two hills. The one-story buildings had white stone walls crested with a dark shade of wood. The roofs, in traditional design, slanted downwards from their triangular shape, pointing slightly upwards at the corners. Although the village had looked refined, the folk appeared to be from the farms out in the outer-lying lands.

Weird expressions were given to Danny as he walked by. Most of them had never seen a Caucasian man walk through their remote village, far from the more urban areas from the prefecture. Master Izo paid no attention to them and advised Iron Fist not to either.

The legendary man then stopped in the middle of the village square, prompting Danny to do so as well. Danny dropped his sack and took a breather, looking around the area. Master Izo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Much has changed these past five-hundred years, Daniel-san." Master Izo softly spoke, re-opening his eyes. "The land is tainted by the modernity of time."

"I wish I knew how that feels, master."

Izo mumbled something in Japanese. "I am hungry. Come, let us go see if the food is good."

"Yes, master."

They stumbled across a small restaurant, its host graciously greeting them and escorting them to a small table, where they both had to sit down without their shoes. Master Izo ordered the food for the both of them and sat down and waited for their food to arrive.

Danny began to look around the small restaurant, its wooden walls decorated with various ornaments and the tables sparsely filled with other locals who took small glances at the two strangers.

"They judge what they cannot understand, Daniel-san. It is not their fault." Master Ivo spoke, staring straight ahead and drinking his cup of tea.

"It is all right. I… I am used to being judged by others. Most do not understand me, after all." Danny quietly sighed to himself.

"Bah… You superheroes all have self-esteem issues." Izo scoffed. "Daredevil said the same thing when **I** trained him."

"I do not have self-esteem issues, master, I just… I have had issues adjusting for the past two years."

"We have been without the use of technology for the past year, Iron Fist. S.H.I.E.L.D. cannot possibly find you out here." Izo confidently stated.

"It is not about S.H.I.E.L.D., master. It's about the team, my **old team**."

"Your old friends?" Izo asked and crossed his arms, staring in the space behind Iron Fist.

"Yes… Peter, Ava, Luke, and Sam. The separation was… unexpected. I was not ready for it."

"You must be ready for anything that crosses your path, Daniel-san. **Rejoice** in change. Your friends will not always be there forever. The Iron Fist must learn how to defend those around him on his own. Teams… they do not always last. However powerful they can be, a warrior must learn how to be his own army before joining one." Master Izo calmly advised him.

"I guess I just miss the fact they understood me so well, Master Izo. We had some incredible times together when we were teenagers."

"Ah, the spoils of youth." Master Izo grinned to himself. "It is hard to remember my own youth. Five hundred years ago is a long time to remember… very long ago."

"What **do** you remember?"

"I briefly remember the Kaga Rebellion that happened further up north. The Ikkō-ikki fought against the daimyo." Izo struggled to remember. "Ugh…It has been so long."

"I'm sorry, master."

"Do not be, Daniel-san." Izo raised his hand. "It is the nature of time to pass. My immortality is my curse. It is my burden to take."

"You sound like Phantom. I believe he is immortal as well." Danny commented, remembering his adventure with Phantom and Specter Haven.

"He must understand as well, then."

Shortly after, their food was brought to them. Master Izo had ordered them both warm bowls of ramen and small bowls of rice. They both opened up their chopsticks and began to feast on the delicious oriental delicacy in silence.

Danny remembered one night where the team had gone out to go eat ramen at the corner of some dead-end street in Chinatown. Sam was getting frustrated trying to use chopsticks and started to violently stab the rice bowl he had gotten.

Peter was having trouble using them too, accidentally breaking them. The both of them were scolded by Ava for being too immature to try and **learn** how to do them. Danny had taught Luke how to use chopsticks before, so they sat back and enjoyed their food while the three of them had a blown-out argument about how to use chopsticks.

Danny smiled remembering it.

"Is it a good memory, Daniel-San?" Master Izo suddenly inquired. His legendary skill of seeing beyond his blindness was amazing.

"It is, master." Danny nodded.

Suddenly, within that moment, they overheard yelling going on just outside the restaurant. Master Ivo had sensed it, leaning his head closer to the sound of the yelling. Danny got up and peeked outside the open window overlooking the main street.

A woman wearing a white shirt and wearing a conical hat was being yelled at by what appeared to be an angry farmer. From what it had looked like, she accidentally tripped over his fruit wagon and spilled the fruits all over the street. This had caused the farmer to turn aggressive and violent, shoving the woman as he continued to scream at her.

Danny balled up his fist and was urged to go outside.

"Leave it be, Daniel-san. It is not our fight to fight." Master Izo calmly advised him.

"But, he is yelling at her and shoving her, master. I **cannot** allow that to happen!"

"There are others out there who will intervene if necessary. Let **them** handle it." Izo continued to eat his ramen.

"No, I cannot stand by idly, master." Danny marched outside and walked right through the surrounding crowd to get in-between the farmer and the young woman.

The middle-aged farmer seemed to have been threatened by the foreigner's presence. He began yelling at Danny in Japanese, mentioning that he was a foreigner several times as he spoke. The young woman looked down at the ground below her, seeming to feel ashamed for what she had done.

"You have **no right** to put your hands on her!" Danny yelled back in her defense.

The farmer had become beyond pissed at this point. He attempted to shove Danny back, but the young fighter shoved back in his defense. Then, in a rush of anger, the farmer raised his fist and punched Danny across the face with his whole strength.

Danny clenched his teeth, fighting back the temptation to retaliate. The crowd around him had begun to cheer on the farmer. From the pressure of the situation, Danny couldn't resist the temptation no more.

He charged up the strength of his chi into his right fist and forcefully retaliated, striking the farmer in the chest and sending the man flying backwards several feet beyond the street. He ended up landing in a mud pile in a pig pen.

The crowd gasped in shock to see what had just happened. Danny stared at his fist in horror, realizing what he had just done. The crowd quickly turned into an angry mob, yelling and screaming at Danny in their native language. Danny turned to the woman he had saved but she had ran off in shame.

Danny slowly backed away from the advancing mob, right before Master Izo stepped in, yelling to stop in Japanese.

"Master Izo, I…"

" **Enough** , Daniel-san, go and grab your belongings. I will explain this mess to them." Izo scolded him.

"Yes, master." Danny silently sighed, walking back into the restaurant to grab his sack and returning to his master's side.

After Master Izo apologized profusely to the villagers, he made the next best decision to leave the village before attracting more attention to themselves. Danny couldn't stop but to feel so ashamed for having acted on his emotion instead of staying out of the situation altogether.

Back on the dirt road away from the dirt, Master Izo finally spoke.

"Lei Kung spoke more highly of you, Daniel-san. You gave in to your **emotion**! You should have heeded my warning to stay out of it!"

"I… I am sorry, master. I was just doing what was right." Danny defended himself.

"That woman was in no danger! She was being told what she did wrong!"

"He should **not** have talked to her in that manner!"

" **Know your place**!" Izo stopped in his tracks to shout at Danny.

Danny looked at the old blind man, sighing to himself and nodding.

"I am sorry, once again, master. I do not mean to dishonor your teachings." Danny politely bowed.

Izo sighed, placing a calm hand on Danny's shoulder. "Next time, try not to punch him so hard, Daniel-san."

Danny smiled at hearing this. "Thank you, master."

Master Izo nodded, continuing on the dirt path that eventually led out onto a busy road with several cars passing by.

"I just do not wish to be misunderstood, master. I wish to help others with my powers. I do not wish to be out of place." Danny calmly brought up.

"It is natural to be out of place, Daniel-san. We are not like the rest of humanity. We have and always will be different."

"It probably would not be so bad if I had travelled with my old friends. No offense to you, master."

Izo calmly chuckled as he walked. "You must concentrate on your training, Daniel-san. And, since we are no longer welcome in the last village, we must venture forth farther to find the next place of aid."

"Perhaps we can move towards the city, master?"

"Mmm… Perhaps we can find somewhere to help in Tokyo." Master Izo sarcastically answered. "Not that you would like to go there."

"That would be **perfect** , master!" Danny exclaimed.

"Oh." Master Izo huffed. "Well, in that case, we will need to find transportation up north. It will be a long time if we travel by foot from the Kyushu region."

"What about **patience** , master?" Danny humored a question.

"I have been around for over five-hundred years, Daniel-san. You expect me to walk **everywhere**? Let us save some time by finding transport!" Izo urged him.

Danny shook his head, smiling. "Very well."

* * *

 _On the planet of Xandar, Tranta system, Andromeda Galaxy… (Nova)_

The celestial planet that once served as the capital of the Nova Empire still maintained its utopic elegance, even with parts of the planet severely stained with the aftermath of the sieges of each war that followed after the destruction of the Nova Corps and the dissolution of the Nova Empire. Now, a new governing body made solely by the Xandarians rules the planet, maintaining a level of neutrality in the politics of the universe.

However, despite the establishment of a new government, the Xandarians don't have the same amount of power and influence that the Nova Corps had in protecting the planet. Politicians played loose with the laws and corruption ran rampant throughout the cities, with alien trafficking and smuggling being commonly carried through the system.

As the day turned to night on the once-peaceful planet, the law-abiding Xandarian citizens in the more urban areas of the planet turned in to their residences and ensured to lock the doors. They did this because the true criminals that used Xandar to their advantage crawled out of their spaceships at night in order to do their business in secret.

On this night, at the corner of a business-store in a rougher part of the capital city, stood a young adult human, clad in black-suited armor with gold-trimming, plated with gold discs on his chest and wearing a distinguishable black-plated helmet with a red star-like symbol at the front. He leaned up against a railing that lined the platform next to the store.

Around him were his once former teammates, the legendary **Guardians of the Galaxy**. Pacing about next to him was a very tall being, closely-resembling an **ent** , made of tree-wood and leaves, his eyes bright yellow and without pupils, his body humanoid and unclothed.

"Calm down, **Groot** , I'm sure this ridiculous deal is going down **just fine**." The black-suited human boy assured him in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"I am Groot?" The tree-like alien worriedly asked him the only three words he was physically capable of speaking.

"Well, Star-Lord's good with persuading and he's got Rocket to back him up if things seem a bit shady. Stop your worrying, man!"

" **I** am Groot."

"Yes, I **know** you're reserved to be worried, but it's not like we haven't gone through worse before." The human boy smirked.

"Don't worry about him, **Nova**. He's just worried that The Broker will notice that the treasure-piece we brought him is a **fake**." A calm female voice spoke from around the other side of the platform.

A green-skinned, black-haired, and yellow-eyed, human-like alien stepped closer to the two of them. She wore a black-suit that covered her legs and upper half, leaving exposed her arms and head. Black bracers protected her wrists and a very deadly looking dagger sheathed at her hip.

Beside her was a very muscular and bulky human-like green alien. He was bald, yellow-eyed, and had red streak-like tattoos that covered his shoulders and arms. His upper body was completely exposed except for the armored pants that he wore. At his calves were sheathes for two daggers, which served for his principal weapons.

They were two of the four other Guardians.

"…and **then** , Peter Quill's obsession with pranking his former associates will come to an end. Well, at least as far as The Broker goes." She finished her statement.

"I know, **Gamora**." Nova answered the female alien. "But Groot's **also** worried about the fact they've been taking so long sealing the deal."

"How long has it been?" The muscular alien calmly asked.

"Long enough, **Drax**. I don't know, I don't keep track of time in this part of the galaxy. The days are short as hell." Nova shrugged.

"I am Groot." Groot crossed his branched arms.

"That planet had four-hour days, tree-brain. **Of course** I couldn't keep track of time!" Nova defensively answered.

"Perhaps we should go in and check to make sure they're okay." Drax suggested.

" **No**. The Broker's a very cautious Xandarian. He'll call the authorities to come arrest us if we just barge in." Gamora sternly answered.

"What is the point if the relic is a fake?" Drax asked, crossing his arms.

"Don't look at me. This was all Quill's idea." Gamora shrugged.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Nova stated just as his stomach growled. "Boy, am I **hungry** though."

"I am Groot?" Groot ripped off a piece of bark off his arm and politely handed it to Nova.

Nova made a disgusted expression.

"Eh, no thanks, pal. I **kinda** don't like the idea of eating bark-skin off of an alien." Nova swiped Groot's hand away.

"But, it is **rich** in **fiber**." Drax pointed out.

"It's **bark-skin** … from an **alien**! **No thanks**! Besides, the last time I had some, I got splinters all through the inside of my mouth. It wasn't fun!" Nova protested.

"I am Groot." Groot shrugged and ate the piece of bark.

"What the fuck…" Nova quietly murmured to himself, looking away.

Nova glanced around the outlying streets below the railed platform, seeking out a place to grab a quick bite. Unfortunately for him, Xandarian cuisine didn't strike as appealing to him, even if it was a delicacy to the others. He missed the foods on Earth the most…

He scorned the fact they didn't have pancake mix out in the Andromeda Galaxy.

… Sam's world-famous pancakes would have to wait.

Moments later, the front metallic door slid open and a small raccoon-like alien wearing a blue space-suit and a very large laser-rifle strapped to his back came walking out back-wards while shouting a bunch of obscenities to The Broker.

He was closely followed by a dark red-coated human who had medium-long brown hair and blue eyes with blaster pistols holstered at his hips. He had a humored expression about his face following the deal that he was **supposed** to have made with The Broker.

"…and you can take your piece of Chitauri-shit store and burn it to the ground for all I care! It'll do this **universe** a freaking favor! You uncultured bastard!" The raccoon shouted in a slightly deep and slightly high-pitched and rough tone.

" **Calm** down, Rocket, there's no use trying to convince him." The human laughed, looking at the silver-like relic and throwing it over the railing of the platform, grinning. "It was a fake anyway!"

"Don't let me see your face again, old man! **Or** your wacky eyebrows!" Rocket yelled once more before the door to the store slid shut. "Don't worry Quill, he knows the score."

"Jeez, it wasn't **this** hard to rip that guy off when I worked with Yondu." Star-Lord commented, looking at his teammates. "What?"

"Did you satisfy your need to bother The Broker?" Drax pondered out loud.

" **Hell** no, but we'll try again next time!" Star-Lord sarcastically answered. "Come on, let's get back to the _Milano_ and see if we can hunt down some jobs for us to do!"

"Xandar's a planet full of dead-ends, Quill. Let's go somewhere where we can do some **real** work. I'm ready to test this baby out on some squishy life-form and see him turn to a pile of goo!" Rocket referred to his large gun.

"As long as the squishy life-form is a bad guy, I'm fine with it!" Star-Lord agreed. "Ideas?"

"I am Groot?" Groot suggested.

" **No** , **no** , Groot, the last time we visited **your** home-planet, we almost got **sold into slavery** by your people!" Rocket loudly protested. " **Planet X** is **out** of the question!"

"I am Groot." Groot sadly answered.

"They do have some pretty good bars out there, though." Star-Lord humorously mentioned.

" **That** they **do**! Still, **out of the question**!"

"Well, there's always something to do in **Knowhere**." Gamora suggested, with a tone of skepticism in her voice.

"Yeah, and then what? Drax and Groot wander off to the nearest casino and blow off all our units? Yeah, that didn't work out too good last time! Not to mention I almost fell into a vat of spinal fluid from the mining colony!" Rocket argued. " **Nope**!"

"At this rate, it seems like you do not want to leave Xandar at all." Drax calmly told Rocket, frowning. "Where do **you** want to go, raccoon?"

"That's not what I'm saying, Drax, I just don't want to go somewhere where we'll be **killed** , **beaten** , **robbed** , and **stabbed** , all in the **same order** as soon as we land!" Rocket sternly answered.

"That's the entire universe, Rocket." Gamora shook her head.

"Ugh, fine! You idiots want to fly straight into a warzone, be my guest!" Rocket pouted. "And for the record, I was **going** to suggest we go to **Korbin**. There's lots of stuff to do there."

"We'll end up running into Beta Ray Bill there for sure, though. I'm pretty sure I owe that guy units." Star-Lord thought out loud.

"Who **don't** you owe money to?" Nova curiously asked.

"I'm **pretty sure** **Deadpool** owes **me** some units." Star-Lord scratched his chin trying to remember.

"I have no preference. I go wherever the team wants to go. I will not **complain** about a location if I know I can fend for myself." Drax looked at Rocket the entire time as he proudly stated it.

Rocket simply glared back. "You **want** to get turned into goo, Drax?"

"What about… Earth?" Nova suddenly suggested.

The Guardians all turned their heads to look at their young counterpart. Nova looked at all of them, shrugging.

"What? Bad idea?"

"I thought you were trying to **stay** **away** from Earth after S.H.I.E.L.D. placed you on their most wanted list." Star-Lord curiously inquired. "You're galaxies away from them now. But, you want to go back?"

"You guys never did a job on Earth before! I have a hunch that we might find something worth doing there! Hell, there was always something to do when I…" Nova cut himself short, trying to suppress the memories of being with his old team.

"I am Groot?"

"I'm fine, Groot. Thanks." Nova assured him. " **I** say we go to Earth, guys."

Rocket looked at Gamora, who looked at Drax, who looked at Star-Lord, each one of them looking for a sign of approval so that they could agree to go embark on a trip to Earth.

"Ugh, I don't know, kid." Rocket scratched his small snout. "Those S.W.O.R.D. types keep a close eye on all extra-terrestrial travel in and out of the planet. We need permits to land."

"Well, it's not the permits we'd have to worry about. S.H.I.E.L.D. would get after Nova in a heart-beat and we'd be arrested by the men-in-black." Star-Lord calmly gritted his teeth as a mechanism of thought.

Nova quietly sighed to himself. In truth, he wanted to have another opportunity to find his old friends. He had left Earth so quickly after escaping from S.H.I.E.L.D. that he didn't have a chance to go looking for them. Throughout the time he spent with his former team in the past year, the Guardians of the Galaxy, he felt like something was missing, something he only felt with his old team.

He wanted to go back now, even if he had to risk getting caught by S.H.I.E.L.D. in the process. In the back of his mind, he knew that something was going to happen with Reaper and Asteroid M, and he could never forgive himself if he let Spidey face that on his own.

"What is **really** troubling you, Nova?" Drax calmly asked, noticing Nova's silence.

"There is more to this visit to Earth, isn't it?" Gamora added. "You can tell us, Nova. We are here to listen."

"I am Groot."

"Shut it, Groot, let the kid speak!" Rocket barked.

Nova scratched the back of his neck, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say. He had hid this feeling for so long, he didn't expect to talk about it now.

He told them about how he had felt, how he missed his old team, hanging out with Spidey, Power Man, Iron Fist, and White Tiger. He recalled the nightmares he had throughout the years of when he was under the Reaper's influence… and how he's been trying to hide the fear of being controlled for so long.

Nova reminded them of the threat Reaper posed to Earth as well, and what it might mean for the humans living on the planet.

After he was done, the Guardians all looked at each other once again, trying to see what the other thought.

"Let's just go to Knowhere or someone else, guys. Don't worry about me." Nova sighed in grief.

"This Reaper guy… you said he has **Infinity Gems**?" Rocket inquisitively asked.

Nova nodded.

" **Fuck** …." Star-Lord cursed. "It was hard enough fighting **Ronan** with **one** Infinity Gem. Now this guy has **two**?"

"Imagine there was some sort of device that allowed the user to activate all of them at once!" Rocket's eyes widened with the thought of it.

"I am Groot!"

"Hmph… You should ask my father about that." Gamora murmured under her breath.

"Imagine the amount of units we could cash-in for them!" Rocket's mind started going wild with the possibilities of acquiring not one, but **two** Infinity Gems this time around.

"So, wait, you guys actually want to go to Earth… for me?" Nova asked with hope in his voice.

Star-Lord shrugged, grinning. "Screw it, kid! Let's go see what this Reaper's all about."

"For real?!" Nova exploded with excitement.

"I am Groot!"

"Ugh." Rocket shook his head. "Fine, **Groot** , we'll go to Earth **after** we get some food. But not at that all-natural joint here on Xandar, they only serve raw dirt!"

* * *

 _Evening-time in the favela-streets of Rio De Janerio, Brazil…_

The infamous night life of Rio had begun in full swing as the sounds of samba and funk carioca filled the streets near Copacabana and encouraged both locals and tourists alike to partake in the festivities that accompanied the night life. Voluptuous Brazilian women in short dresses and dark and handsome Brazilian men in tailored suits walked the streets, looking for fun.

The troubles that surrounded what happened in the United States (The Manhattan Incident, the Los Angeles Incident) seemed to worry little on the minds of the Brazilian citizens. Mutants had co-existed with them in secret for years, with the humans paying no mind to their special abilities unless they acted in violence towards them.

For the most part, Rio and the rest of Brazil was a haven for mutants who didn't wish to be captured by S.H.I.E.L.D., who made it seamlessly easy to erase them out of society and instilled in their **labor camps**. However, mutant disappearances began to flood the streets of Rio, São Paulo, and the rest of the Atlantic coast-line in Brazil, with all leads ending up with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Still, few humans paid attention to this, as it wasn't made as headline news. However, in the mutant community, it was beginning to scare them.

Walking the hilly streets of the Santa Teresa neighborhood in the Centro was a young woman, her really tanned skin a shade of mocha, her hair long and dark brown, and her eyes a light tone of brown. She wore a jersey, sporting the nation's soccer team in the colors of green, yellow, and blue. With blue jeans and a white cap on her head, she walked in the best intention of staying incognito with the rest of the populace.

She passed by groups of the poorer children playing soccer in small dirt fields and less-than-friendly looking individuals making sexual remarks at her as she walked on. She paid them no attention, as she knew they would forget about her the moment she turned the corner.

With the sun setting, she caught the last glimpse of The Christ the Redeemer statue standing on the enigmatic mountain of Corcovado off on the inclined horizon. She saw this statue every evening on her way home from her afternoon job as a school custodian. It was the best job that would attract the least attention to herself, which is why she stayed with it.

"Oi, Ava!" Some of the neighborhood kids who knew her greeted her as they played their version of hop-scotch.

She smiled and waved at them, finally reaching her small shanty-style home and walking up a set of stairs on the side of the house to her rented space at the second-floor.

"Ava!" An elderly voice spoke from the bottom of the stairs as Ava reached her key into the door.

Ava glanced over to see a short Brazilian woman, her skin aged, her hair grayed, wearing a long burgundy dress and a white apron. She stood with her hands at her hips.

"I'm still waiting on last month's rent from you, Ava." The woman sternly told Ava in Portuguese.

"I'll have it ready for you soon, Senhora Larissa." Ava irritably answered.

"You better, moça. I don't want to have to kick you out but I will!" The woman scoffed as she walked back into her home on the first floor of the building.

Ava took a deep sigh as she opened the door and walked into her small house, turning on the lights and walking past the empty green-walled space of the house. She had barely furnished it, leaving only a small wooden table and chair so that she could eat at. A worn down kitchen was in a room diagonal from the front door and her bedroom was directly ahead.

Senhora Larissa was kind enough to give her a spare twin-sized bed when she first moved in, noticing that Ava had **nothing** with her at first. She laid on the rather comfortable bed on her back, staring up at the single lightbulb illuminating the small baby-blue walled bedroom.

She laid for a moment before getting up and undressing, readying herself to shower away the grime of the day. She discarded her clothes in a small straw basket that sat in the corner of the bedroom and wrapped her body in a white towel, walking into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom.

As the cold streams of water splashed down on her head from the nozzle, she closed her eyes, slowly sliding her hand down her hair at the back of her neck. She took a brief moment to remember the last two years of her life, half of it working as a slave to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the other half on the run.

Throughout all that time, she thought of Peter.

Every now and again, she would catch glimpses of him on television. Her heart filled with happiness to know that he didn't give up his responsibility over the city as Spider-Man, despite having lost her to S.H.I.E.L.D. But, it didn't help that she couldn't even try talking to him, or contact him in some way without detection.

Tears slid down her wet cheeks. She tried hard to forget him, to make this new life easier for her. Her heart in an utter twist, she refused to date anyone else, despite meeting other super-humans and mutants that were more than willing to comfort her. Her love for Peter was still tender, longing to be with him.

She shook off the sadness and finished showering. She dried herself up and got dressed in her night attire, which was simply blue pajama pants and a red t-shirt. Her style definitely didn't change much from when she was a young teenager.

She then flipped on the small television set and sat at the foot of the bed, ignoring the same-old static that interrupted some of her favorite Brazilian novelas from horrible reception from Senhora Larissa's TV provider.

Suddenly, she landed on a news channel where a Brazilian anchorman was reporting the sighting of an asteroid in Earth's orbit. It flipped to satellite images of the massive mass that resembled a floating island. Flashbacks of Island M ran through her mind, realizing that the threat of the Reaper was still there.

She knew she couldn't do anything about it, as much as she wanted to, she flipped off the television and turned off the lights now that the night had arrived.

She curled up in her bedsheets, thinking of Peter, wishing the one thing that she longed for… for Peter to be next to her. Ava silently cried, as she had been for a year now. This wasn't like her.

 _ **You're stronger than this**_ , she thought, remembering the defensive Ava Ayala she once was as a young teenager, who placed her studies and education above everything else in hopes that she gained a future far greater than anything her father and family ever had.

Now, all she had was the mantle of the White Tiger. Even that wasn't enough. Her dreams continuously taunted by flashbacks and memories of her and Peter, often dreaming of seeing him again, being held by him again…

…only to wake up in reality every time.

She cried herself to sleep that night, ignoring the sounds of the rap music that blared from the speakers of nearby neighbors, accompanied by the sounds of police sirens in the distance.

Hours later… in the dead of the night… she began to shiver, her body tensing up, her nails clawing the cloth of the bed. Her heart pounded out of her chest as she lost herself to the will and control of the Jade Tiger Amulet that she wore underneath her shirt.

She angrily growled as she shot up out of bed, ripping the wooden closet door open and clawing the wooden boards of the floor until they opened up, revealing her White Tiger costume.

The costume had become modified in her last days at S.H.I.E.L.D. Her stripes had become black, the yellow-optical lenses of her mask specially made to track targets, and several features added on top of her electrical claws.

Ava donned the White Tiger costume, breaking out of the house through the window in her bedroom, and climbing up to the roof of the building. She stared across the city, sniffing the air and trying to find trouble where there was trouble to be found.

She caught a scent of something and followed it, jumping across the rooftops of the shanty-like homes and climbing up the sides of the buildings down the hilly neighborhood of Santa Teresa and closer to a nearby port that exited out into the Atlantic Ocean.

Some of the neighborhood kids watched the white-suited feline jump across the buildings. She hissed at them if they grew too near, scaring the kids into running away from her and back into their homes.

Several minutes later, she reached the port, silently crawling on the rooftop of a warehouse and peeking over the edge to see several black-suited men guard and patrol the warehouse with assault rifles. They looked to be members of the organized crime syndicate that ran the drug trafficking throughout the city.

She silently hissed at them and backed away from the edge of the roof, crawling towards an air duct that led into the interior of the building. She climbed inside and prowled the metal ducts until she found a vent that peeked out into the warehouse.

Shelves and shelves as high as the building itself lined up the well-lit interior. Several more of the armed men stood behind a fairly old man in a 3-piece completely white-suit. He had a blackish-gray goatee and his hair medium-long. His eyes were green and his skin fairly tanned.

He stood in-front of a table with packets full of drugs. Next to him was a familiar sight…

Standing next to him, in an orange and black jacket with pockets resembling feline eyes on his chest, fur on the edge of the black hood that accompanied it, was **Kraven the Hunter** , his face hidden by his hood with only the distinguishable black beard visible.

White Tiger clenched her teeth and withdrew her claws, calmly clawing the inside of the duct in anger.

"…so long as S.H.I.E.L.D. stays **out** of my business, Kraven, they can operate within my city. I'll make sure my men stay out of your way." The white-suited man spoke in English, the Brazilian accent noticeable, while examining the drugs.

"I know Director Sitwell wants this city **cleansed** of mutants. That is the priority." Kraven answered in his thick Russian accent. "But, **I'm** here for **someone else**."

"You are looking for a nice Brazilian lady? We have plenty of those in my brothels."

" **No**. There is a young woman that I've tracked to this city named **White Tiger**. I've searched **far** and **wide** for her." Kraven darkly responded. "I **know** she's here, somewhere in Rio or in the interior of Brazil."

"Who is she?"

"She's a wanted fugitive. And… I'd like to **add** her to my collection."

"Ah, I see." The white-suited man calmly nodded. "In that case, give me a description of her and I'll have my men sniff her out and see if we can locate her faster for you."

"Much obliged." Kraven grinned. "I'll make sure S.H.I.E.L.D. allows safe transport of your cargo through their helicarriers in the region, then."

"I'm pleased that we can come to this agreement. You can tell your Director Sitwell that I'll take care of the disappearances of these **mutants** , they just need to **disappear** first. I'll take care of the political spectrum."

"Good." Kraven shook his hand.

This raged a fire inside Tiger's veins, nearly forcing her to jump out of the vents and rip Kraven's throat out. But, the common sense quickly kicked in her head, telling her that it would be suicide and that she was easily outnumbered and outgunned. She would have to wait until they left to safely escape the port.

Upon returning to her home, the tiger inside of her went wild, knocking over items around her bedroom and tearing apart the cooking-ware in her kitchen. She was **furious** that Kraven was back now, looking for her, **on-top** of the fact that he was under the corrupt employment of S.H.I.E.L.D. at this point.

She began to breathe heavily, losing all **control**. Tiger began tearing at her costume, ripping it off her body, throwing it down to the ground. The tiger inside of her felt trapped, it felt cornered. She ripped it all off, mask included, until all that remained was the Jade Tiger Amulet, the source of her power and what was driving her insane.

She wanted to rip it off too, but she couldn't. She remembered her responsibility, her promise to her father that she would carry on the White Tiger legacy for as long as she could.

Ava collapsed on her bed, the tiger within calming down. She wrapped her naked body in her bedsheets, reaching stability once again.

Right before she entered her slumber once again, she could hear the faint voice of Peter calling out for her in her subconscious. And in sweet escape, her mind retreated to a serene dream where she was with her beloved once again, in **happiness**.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Gosh, this was an incredible feat trying to get this chapter typed up! I spent a decent amount of time throughout the week adding on each section of the story, trying to brainstorm the right amount of content and the appropriate scenario to re-introduce the team into the story! I personally think it's a nice pause from everything going on with Specter Haven and shift focuses a little bit to what's going on with the team.

That being said, **please** let me know what you guys thought about this chapter! Which part did you enjoy the most? Did the scenario fit with the behavior the actual character would do? Also, keep in mind that they've matured a bit after two years! :O But, I **really** **hope** you guys enjoyed it! :D I appreciate all the reviews, my dear friends! The support helps drive this story!

I'm ahead of schedule so far for this week! So, I **should** have the next chapter up by the next weekend again! :D I'll keep you guys updated in-case I'm seeing a pause in the story like what happened the past two weeks! Thanks for staying in the loop, though!

I don't have any stories to endorse this chapter, unfortunately! :( Although, I **will** say that I've been reading stories in the **Teen Titans** community! Powerful stuff, they have some really great writers writing some strong FanFics over there!

Thanks for reading, guys! :D Let me know what you all thought about this one! :)

 _ **As always, feedback is appreciated!**_

 _ **Stay tuned for Avengers, Revisited**_

* * *

 **Reader Responses**

 **Retrokill:** I'm glad you think so, my friend! I do my best to make sure they **stay** well-written! :D I hope I solved that mystery for you! Thanks for the review! :)

 **Jetcore:** Definitely, I'm trying to show a build-up of the plot, with Reaper's return being the imminent threat to the stability the world finds itself in at the present time! Peter definitely has it hard, and you got to remember, he was in the middle of a battlefield the last time around on Island M, there's surely some form of PTSD from that mess! Thanks for the review, my friend! :D

 **Man285:** Ah, my good comrade! What did you think of this chapter?! Need I ask what your favorite section was? :D Thanks for the review!

 **ArtemisBAMF1218:** You know I do my absolute best to detail my reviews out on **every** story I come across, and **you** have me beat! I can't thank you enough for your detailed reviews and collective thought on the story! I wish we could PM each other, my good reader friend! :D

Regarding Fox and Phantom, I definitely want there to be more of a build-up on Phantom's end. The guy's clueless, right? So now he needs to be **shown** just how much he means to Fox, and how this chick is willing to go through Heaven and Hell for him! That'll definitely get him to notice!

I should be the one thanking you for the choice of song! It definitely helped me envision Ava's section of the story, which I hope you thought flowed well and made sense for what the lyrics were saying and what was actually going on with her! Trying to show that her lost willpower has allowed the tiger within to heavily influence her actions! :( Unfortunately I don't want the show, but I looked up the scene you spoke about and tried to mimic the same behavior in Ava in this scene! Thanks for the reference! :D

I'm hoping that J.J. comes to regret all the bad things he's said about Peter as the story goes on, to show that New York really does need Spider-Man. *hint hint*

I'm really glad you enjoyed the conversation between Firewalker and Fox, that definitely took some time to piece together the dialogue in a way that made sense and worked for both the characters! Thanks for letting me know that, though, I'll **definitely** be adding more of that in the future chapters with them! :D I should have Wolfe speak to her next time, eh?

Definitely, I want both MJ and Harry to play a more major role in this story this time around. Hence the connection with Stark Industries and Oscorp! :O

Well, try to also remember that Sitwell's S.H.I.E.L.D. operates more like **Hydra** than the traditional agency we know. *hint hint*

You can actually look up the restaurant where Peter had his freak-out. It's an actual restaurant that I saw once in my travels through Manhattan. You can probably visualize it a lot better by seeing the real place! :O Also got to remember that Reaper's feeding off of Peter's insecurities, it's giving him the power to influence more of his actions! :(

Unfortunately, I haven't seen the new season, my friend! I stopped watching after Season 2! :/ I really hope I answered all your questions in this team chapter, my friend! The amount of effort and thought put into it was a real challenge! I loved it! :D Let me know what you think! And thanks again for the review!

 **The Story's Shadow** : Definitely, my friend. If you'd like a more accurate vision of it, I adopted Reaper's new look from Eredin Bréacc Glas from _The Witcher_. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, my friend! Thanks for the review! :D

 **William Sullivan** **(Guest)** : Hmm… I've never really thought of adding Man-Spider into this mix. There's more to the mental break down than meets the eye but I can see what I can do for that, my friend! :D Thanks for the review!

 **Death Fury** : Definitely Reaper messing with his mind, my friend! :O Hopefully Dr. Strange cures him, eh? Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoy this one! :)

 **The Night Hunter** : More to show in the next chapter after this one, man! :) Dr. Strange will work his magic and hopefully cures him! I really hope you enjoyed this team chapter, friend! Let me know what you think! Thanks for the review! :D

 **Sport21** : Ooooh, might be a full-control moment later on in the story! That's scary to think! What did you think of this chapter, my friend? I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review! :)


	6. Avengers, Revisited

_**Avengers, Revisited**_

* * *

 _A few days later, early afternoon in Peter's medical room, on-board Alpha Base…_

In the days that followed Peter's freak-out incident in Manhattan, Dr. Strange took each day to analyze Peter's psychological status in-order to seek out this **entity** that was tormenting Peter's subconscious, heavily influencing his behavior and decisions. Peter woke up the morning after the incident but complained of being really tired, a side-effect of the magical powers Dr. Strange had to use to knock Peter out.

Since then, Peter woke up at random times of each day, remaining in a coma-like state during each session that Dr. Strange used to connect his mind with Peter's and attempt to **hunt down** the unknown entity.

On this particular analytical session, Dr. Strange used his powers to insert himself into Peter's memory banks, rather than the other parts of his mind that he had been searching through the previous days. The Sorcerer Supreme had figured that Peter's memories were a great influence on his overall character, defining his morals and who he is **as Spider-Man**.

Instantly, he was rushed through into Peter's memories, a library-like place of experiences that Peter held dear and moments that he wished he had never lived through. Dr. Strange heard a mixture of whispers in this dream-like realm all through-out.

" **With great power, comes great responsibility… remember that, Pete.** " An older voice whispered nearby.

Strange turned his head to see an older man, probably in his late forties, his hair darkish gray, his skin fairly aged. He wore a dark orange long-sleeve collared shirt and dark-blue jeans. In front of him stood a teenager Peter Parker, in a light blue-collared shirt and jeans.

"I **got** it, Uncle Ben!" Peter irritably answered the older man, shaking his hand off his shoulder. "Stop acting like you're my father all the time! You're **not** my father! Let me be who I am!"

"Peter, please, just listen!"

But Peter wouldn't hear it. He ran off and faded away from the memory, along with the vision of Uncle Ben. Dr. Strange scratched his beard at seeing this, trying to figure out why Peter was remembering this particular memory all of a sudden.

Just then, another memory faded into view in front of Dr. Strange, this particular memory changing the entire setting into what appeared to be the inside of one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarriers, inside the central nuclear core of the ship.

On the floor, laid Spider-Man, his chest bleeding heavily from a puncture wound right through his chest, and he was surrounded by his teammates: Power Man, Iron Fist, Nova, and White Tiger, who had removed her mask and was crying over Spidey.

On the other side of the room, Taskmaster was lying face-down on the ground, seemingly having been killed off by Phantom as he ran over to Spidey's aid, his white mask tainted red with blood from fighting the mercenary.

"You all right, Phantom?!" Nova asked.

"Don't worry about me! Spider-Man, are you all right?!" Phantom worriedly asked Spidey as he examined his wounds. "Damn it! He pierced right through! **Why** did you rush like that, Spider, **why**?!"

"Because… I wasn't going to let him get away with it…" Spidey sincerely spoke, coughing out blood through his mask. " **Damn**. I should've thought my move out a lot better."

"You **should've**!" Tiger cried. "You can't die! Not like this! You **can't**!"

"Phantom, can't you do **anything** for him?!" Power Man inquired. "Please, you can't let him die!"

The memory slowly faded away as the setting returned to the library-like realm of memories. Dr. Strange pieced together what he knew and figured that the memory happened on-board the helicarrier that Taskmaster took over during the **Manhattan Incident** a little more than two years ago.

He walked through, trying to find another memory that pieced together Peter's mind, running into another one shortly after. The setting changed to the Principal's Office at Midtown High. Ava and Peter stood facing each other, with tears in their eyes, surrounded by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Director Jasper Sitwell, who stood with his arms crossed, watching them.

"No… They can't, they just **can't**." Ava cried, burying her face in Peter's chest, letting all of her emotions out and holding him tightly.

"They can't do this, Pete!" She continued. "Please tell me we're still dreaming, tell me we're still in Reaper's Dream Nexus and that we'll wake up at any time now!"

"I wish we **were** , kitten." Peter sadly told her, caressing her hair. "I **really** wish we were."

"Please, don't forget about me!" Ava pleaded, firmly grasping the cloth of his shirt. "I **swear** , I'll **never** forget about **you**!"

"You know I won't!" Peter solemnly assured her. "We'll see each other again, I **promise**!"

"Good." Ava faintly smiled. "You were my **first** , and you'll be my last, **forever**."

"I… love you, **Ava**."

"I love **you** , **Peter**."

With that, the memory faded out, leaving Dr. Strange with another piece of knowledge of Peter's memories. Each one of the memories seemed to hint at moments of regret, guilt, and sadness, which seemed morbid, considering how optimistic Strange usually knew Peter to be, even with his troubled past.

Suddenly, a subtle chuckle, deep and sinister, echoed through the realm of memories, the setting changing to a dark place, a throne-like room, long and deathly. An audience of black-hooded and cloaked apostles kneeled down to the mysterious and shadowed entity that sat at the throne, a throne decorated with skulls and bones.

This entity, however shadowed, seemed heavily armored through his silhouette. The helmet he wore was **crown-like** in design and **red** **glowing eyes** glared back at Dr. Strange.

"Well, well, well, **Dr. Strange**." The entity spoke, his voice deep and raspy, and his demeanor threatening. "What a pleasant surprise to find you in young Peter Parker's subconscious."

"So **you're** the ghastly spirit that wanders Peter's mind. Who are you? What are your intentions?" Dr. Strange attempted to parlay with the entity.

The entity chuckled once more. "We haven't met. I have no **quarrel** with the Sorcerer Supreme, **not yet** anyway. I've been keeping an eye on Mr. Parker for **quite** some time now. His continued friendship to the **Phantom** has been… unexpected."

"Ah, **Reaper**." Dr. Strange discerned the entity's identity. "I don't know **how** you've gained access to Parker's mind. But, I **assure** you, I won't let you torment him any further."

"Torment?" Reaper inquisitively asked. " **No** , not torment, I'm only trying to show Peter Parker a way to unleash his **true** **potential**. He is **restricted** by his morals, his urge to help others. His role as a paragon amongst superheroes is pre-mature, **especially** when he can achieve **so much more**."

"Interesting that you've gained a particular interest in him now that you've lost the trail on **Phantasm** , huh? You couldn't find success with Phantom's daughter so now you want to corrupt the **one hero** that's been helping your greatest adversary all along?" Dr. Strange cautiously approached the throne, bracing his magical powers for a fight.

" **Phantasm** … was a means to an end." Reaper stood up, revealing himself from the shadows of the darkness. "Careful, Dr. Strange, you're toying with powers that are **beyond your knowledge**. You're involving yourself in something that you don't fully comprehend."

"You're feeding off of Parker's insecurities, aren't you?" Dr. Strange then pointed out, realizing the memories he witnessed all had the same thing in common.

Reaper stood silent, not answering him.

"Whatever you have planned, Reaper, know that **we will** stop you, no matter the cost." Dr. Strange confidently warned him.

" **Boldly** stated." Reaper calmly answered, his bracers flashing red with its electricity. "So, **shall we**?"

In that moment, Strange unleashed a wave of green magical energy through his hands, drawing on **Agamotto's** powers to defend himself. He lifted himself up using the Cloak of Levitation and kept trying to throw Reaper off with his barrage of magical energy attacks.

Reaper fought back against the magical energy, unleashing a wall of electrical energy through his bracers that wiped through everything in the throne room, his hooded apostles combusting into charred bodies. Strange protected himself from the electricity using a form of shielding magic that surrounded him.

"You're a **brave** magician, Dr. Strange!" Reaper shouted to him, levitating up into the air in front of him.

"They don't call me the **Sorcerer Supreme** for **nothing** , Reaper!" Strange retorted.

The magician then invoked the powers of **Raggadorr** , unleashing a demonic hellfire upon the subconscious, forcing Reaper to back down onto the floor and shield himself.

" **Begone** , Reaper!" Strange shouted out to him. "Leave Peter Parker alone!"

Before long, the hellfire tore through the entire throne-room, its flames engulfing Reaper, forcing Dr. Strange out of Peter's mind and waking back up sitting next to Peter in his medical room on-board R.O.G.U.E.'s Alpha Base, gasping for air, and his head throbbing with the pain of what he had just experienced.

The legendary sorcerer stood up, trying to recollect his mental fortitude. He glanced over at Peter, who was slowly opening his eyes from his coma-like state of rest.

"D-Doctor **Strange** …?" Peter asked, his tone sounding exhausted and weak.

"I'm here, Peter." Dr. Strange sat back down on his chair and tended to Pete. "You all right?"

"My head… it… it hurts a lot." Peter complained, attempting to sit up.

"No, no." Strange urged Peter to stay laying down. "You need to **rest** , Peter. No doubt your mind's been through hell."

"Hell? What…? Wh-where am I?" Peter nervously asked.

"Relax, Peter. You're on-board the medical platform of Alpha Base, R.O.G.U.E.'s underwater headquarters." Dr. Strange calmly answered.

"R.O.G.U.E.?!" Peter panicked. " **No** , **no** , S.H.I.E.L.D. will find out!"

"Parker, I can **assure** you that S.H.I.E.L.D. has bigger problems to worry about right now than the whereabouts of Spider-Man." Dr. Strange subtly chuckled. "You'll be safe here."

"What about Harry? MJ? Aunt May?! Where are they?" Peter's eyes widened as he spoke. "The restaurant?! What happened at the restaurant?"

"You've **really** got to relax, Peter." Dr. Strange stood up and grabbed a cup of water that the nurses left along with a meal tray for Peter for lunch. "They're **fine**. We'll discuss what happened at the restaurant later. But **first** , you need to rest."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. will **know** I'm here! They'll… they'll question Harry and MJ about what happened!"

"Harry Osborn? The current CEO of Oscorp? I doubt S.H.I.E.L.D. will dare to put Mr. Osborn at any state of discomfort. Oscorp has taken over as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s chemical weapons provider. Or so, that's what I've gathered from recent news." Dr. Strange briefly explained.

"What **am** **I** doing here then, Dr. Strange?" Peter continued asking, his tone calming down.

"An old friend has returned from the dead, Peter. He wanted you to be here." Dr. Strange handed Peter the cup of water.

"Who?" Peter sipped the cold water.

"He usually goes by the name of **Nick Fury**." Strange faintly grinned as he answered, watching as Peter was stunned by the surprise of it.

"Nick?! He's… he's back?!"

Dr. Strange nodded. "But, **again** , you **need** to **rest**! You'll have plenty of time to see him later. Besides, he, Agent Coulson, and Director Hill are busy contacting the Avengers anyway. They're trying to get them to come here as well."

* * *

 _That evening at the Barton Homestead, at an undisclosed location in the United States…_

A black BMW M5 gently drove through the dirt road that led up to the beautifully built home of Clint Barton, the Avenger known as **Hawkeye**. It drove past a forest of green trees and waist-high grassy brush, the land being many miles from any nearby city or town. It was a little before sunset, the sun just above the horizon, with enough light to illuminate the homestead.

Just as the car reached the driveway of the colonial-style home, two children, a brown haired, blue-eyed boy and a brown-eyed girl with the same hair color as her brother, poked their heads through the front door, looking at the black BMW as it parked next to the family's SUV.

A woman stepped out of the BMW, her hair red and straightened, her skin slightly tanned, and her eyes green with a calculating gaze. She wore a brown leather jacket with a black tank-top underneath, tight dark-blue jeans, and black heeled boots.

"Auntie **Nat**!" The boy and girl rushed out the door and greeted the woman.

"Oh boy!" Natasha smiled at them as she closed the door to her car, embracing them in a warm hug. " **Cooper** , **Lila** , you've both have gotten so big!"

"We've missed you, Auntie Nat!" Lila hugged Natasha really tight. "Daddy kept thinking that you'd **never** come back to see us!"

"Yeah? Where's your silly dad at anyway?"

"Nat, is that you?!" A woman's voice asked from the front door of the house.

Natasha looked up to see Laura, Clint's wife, smiling at her as she walked down the steps of the porch with their two-year old son, Nathaniel, in her arms.

Laura was just as aged as her husband, her long brown hair in a ponytail and her eyes as brown as chocolate. She wore a white sundress and little Nathaniel wore a long-sleeved green shirt and blue-jean overalls.

"Laura!" Natasha happily greeted and walked towards her, hugging her friend. "Oh boy, little Nate's already **two**?!"

"Yeah, he's been a handful!" Laura bounced little Nathaniel in her arms. "Jeez, Nat, it's been… what? **Two years**? Where have you been?"

"Trying to stay alive, really." Natasha gently shrugged. "I just thought I'd drop by and see how the Bartons are doing."

"Oh, you know you're **always** welcome here, Nat! Come, let's go inside, I'll go grab Clint. He's out back in the shed trying to fix that darn tractor."

"He **still** hasn't fixed it yet?" Natasha skeptically asked.

"Nope! You'd think a retired Avenger would be able to fix something like a tractor after two years now." Laura sighed.

"You'd **think**." Natasha agreeably remarked.

Laura welcomed Natasha inside the home, beckoning the kids to help her set up the wooden dinner table, since she had made spaghetti that evening, having enough to serve Natasha her own plate.

"I'll go get the food ready, Nat. Clint will get here soon. I **know** that man won't be able to resist the smell of spaghetti coming out of the kitchen, so you can wait here in the living room." Laura insisted as she walked into the small kitchen perpendicular to the living room.

Natasha stood around, watching as Cooper and Lila, much older than the last time she had seen them, help fix the table and arrange the utensils and napkins at each chair. They rushed back into the kitchen to help their mother ready the plates of food.

She looked up at the mantle above the fireplace, seeing that Clint had mounted his legendary black bow on the wall above it, along with a quiver of arrows steadied next to it.

Along the edge of the mantle were pictures of the Barton family, each one chronicling a different moment in their lives. There were even newspaper cutouts of Clint, articling the time he and the Avengers helped save Manhattan from the Chitauri many years back. Natasha smiled, reminiscing on the good times.

She heard footsteps march up the wooden steps near the back-door. She turned to see it open and a bearded Clint Barton came gently marching in with his hands greased with black oil and his graying brown hair a mess. He was wearing a white tank-top that reeked of gasoline and greased up jeans and black boots.

His gaze quickly fixed on Natasha, stopping himself dead in his tracks and staring at her, in an almost confused state.

"N-Nat? Is that you?" Clint asked, sounding surprised yet stern.

" **Who** else could it be, Clint?" Natasha sarcastically asked. " **Yes** , it's me."

" **Jesus Christ**. Why haven't you **called**?" Clint irritably asked, crossing his arms. "Two years and you just show back up? Does Laura know you're here? Or are you sneaking around again?"

" **Wow** … That's one **hell** of a way to greet your old partner, Clint." Natasha sighed. "You **definitely** haven't changed."

"…The food's ready to serve, everyone!" Laura walked out of the kitchen, passing through the door to walk right into the confrontation between Clint and Natasha. "Oh… What's going on here?"

"You let her in, Laura?" Clint curiously asked, keeping his stare on Natasha.

"Yeah, I did. Why?"

"He's just a little offended that I haven't contacted you guys in two years." Natasha shrugged it off. "He'll **get over it**."

Clint scowled at her and walked past her upstairs.

"Where are **you** going?!" Laura demanded.

"I'm going to go change, unless you want me to eat at the table drenched in gasoline." Clint scoffed.

The dinner was fairly tense. Natasha spoke about her travels around the world, noticeably keeping some of the information private through feigned ignorance, something that Clint easily picked up on after years and years of working with the legendary **Black Widow**. He knew there was more to every story she told. But, he didn't budge. He asked simple questions here and there, but kept most of his observations a secret.

Laura was more than happy to talk about Cooper and Lila's progress at school, their afterschool activities, and how Nathaniel was doing now that he was two. She talked about how things at her workplace were and briefly asked if Nat knew anything about the S.H.I.E.L.D. and R.O.G.U.E. situation, a topic that Natasha did her best to dodge on purpose.

Afterwards, the kids urged Natasha to play with them for a bit while Clint helped Laura clean up the table and wash the dishes. Once 9:30 came around, Laura brought the kids upstairs for their bedtimes, leaving Natasha and Clint to catch up on their own.

Clint offered Nat a beer, which she respectfully declined, right before he sat down on his black leather chair with a bottle of Budweiser in his hand. After an awkward silence passed between the two, Clint finally decided to break the ice.

" **So** , you're going to tell me **why** you're actually here?" Clint sternly asked, taking a sip. "You **didn't call**. You **didn't send me an email**. You **didn't even send a cryptic letter**. Laura's too nice to have questioned you on **why** you showed up without notice but **I know you** , Nat. I know there's another purpose. Now, what's going on?"

Natasha sighed. "A lot's changed since you retired, Clint. The world's changed **a whole lot** after we helped stop Magneto on Island M."

" **Don't** remind me. Now, spare me the narratives and get to the point, Nat."

"Alright, alright… I was **getting** to that." Nat gently bit her lip. "Several months ago, the others and I started investigating these **mutant disappearances**. Have you heard about them?"

Clint shook his head.

"I didn't think so. The media's been downplaying it but Rogers and I caught ahold of it and started snooping around. We looked at last known locations, searched records, and even asked the X-Men if they knew any of mutants who have vanished. At first, we thought they were being taken by remnants of Magneto's Brotherhood, but… what we ended up finding out was a lot worse."

She glanced up towards the stairs to make sure that neither Laura nor the kids were listening in.

" **Hydra**?" Clint curiously asked.

"No, it's **S.H.I.E.L.D.** They've been capturing these mutants for… God knows how long now." Natasha revealed, causing Clint's expressionless face to look shocked.

"What the hell? H-how? Why?!" This caught Clint by surprise.

" **I don't know**. All of it was conducted under the orders of Director Sitwell, that's **all I know**. When he found out that some of the Avengers were snooping around, that's when he started to discreetly attempt taking us out."

"What do you mean? How can S.H.I.E.L.D. **take out** an Avenger?" Clint skeptically asked.

"They… started with Banner…" Natasha gravely told him. "Several months back, he was on one of Stark's private jets to attend some conference in China that showcased the latest breakthrough in understanding gamma radiation. S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjets showed up during the flight and shot the plane down over the East China Sea…"

"No…Banner… H-He can't be dead. He's **The Hulk** for Christ's sake." Clint did his best to hold back his anger. "…Is he? Is he **dead**?"

"We couldn't find a body in the wreckage, just the remains of the pilots."

"Well, what did Sitwell have to say about it? Did you guys confront him!?"

"Yeah." Natasha shrugged. "Rogers and Stark were the first ones to speak up and **demand** answers as to why the plane was **shot down**. But, Sitwell denied the accusations and even drew up a full accountability as to where his Quinjets were the date and time that the plane was shot down. The only evidence Stark had was the jet's black-box, where the pilot stated that there were S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjets approaching them."

Clint balled his fist in anger, not believing what he was hearing, silently sighing. "Who else?"

" **Maximoff**." Natasha stood up from the couch and began walking about the living room with her arms crossed.

"There was a community outreach project in South America where Wanda and Vision wanted to do some ' **humanitarian work** ' to show that they're not all violent and scary as most of the world has painted the Avengers to be. They were then mysteriously attacked outside the home they were staying at…"

Clint shook his head in disapproval.

"…We can't confirm that **S.H.I.E.L.D.** took her, but what other agency has the weaponry to temporarily knock-out Vision and capture Maximoff? She's been missing for a few months now. The trail's gone cold somewhere in the Amazon." Natasha solemnly finished.

The former Avenger finished his beer, studying the label of the bottle, lost in his own thoughts. Natasha studied his expression, allowing him the time to process all of it.

"Where are the others? Are they safe?" Clint asked, standing up and heading into the empty kitchen to dispose of his bottle.

" **Stark's** been working on some big energy project with Dr. Hank Pym and **Scott Lang** as R &D consultants, I **think** he's trying to get Oscorp on board as well. **Sam's** been in hiding along with **Steve** , **Bucky** , and **Vision** at **King T'Challa's** palace in Wakanda." Natasha listed them out for him.

"I assume Stark doesn't know about these mutant disappearances then?"

"No, he **knows**. But, Sitwell knows better than to try killing off **Iron Man**. Stark's placed himself in the right position to keep himself valuable to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Clint nodded, scratching his beard.

"You **really** need to shave that disgusting thing off your face." Natasha commented out of the bloom.

He ignored the statement. "You still haven't answered me, Nat. **Why** are you here? I'd… **like** to help but I've got a lot going on for me now. It was fun and all for the years we were together but… **Hawkeye** is a thing of the past now."

"Well… I received a **message** by a fugitive last night." Natasha vaguely stated.

"Phantom?"

She shook her head. "It was **Coulson**. He had something too important for me to ignore… S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately traced the call and I had to bail out on my location, go deeper into hiding."

"So you went to the **only place** you **knew** S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't think of…" Clint slightly chuckled. "Jesus, Nat, you haven't changed one bit."

"It's a **safehouse** , isn't it?" Nat smirked.

"Well?" Clint looked at her. " **Spit it out** , Nat. What was **so important** that Coulson risked contacting you?"

She grinned. "He's back. **Fury's back**."

Clint's expression instantly defined his reaction, leaving him speechless without a doubt.

Nat crossed her arms. "I **hope** that means you just got pulled back in from retirement."

* * *

 _In the morning hours of the next day at Tony Stark's laboratory at Stark Industries in rural New York…_

The busy R&D facility at Stark Industries was busy at work. With new private investors being taken on to finance the company, Stark was making a move to provide **free** **renewable** energy to the United States, and possibly the world. With a greater understanding of the arc reactor invention, it was quickly becoming a reality.

With this, the technicians and researchers at the R&D facility were attempting to find new ways to compact the energy of the arc reactor to a smaller size than the one that powers up the Iron Man suits. The goal now was to make it to the size of a small battery with the output of a power plant, enough to sustain an entire city for decades. This was to be called the **Arc Cell**.

On this day, however, Stark wasn't concentrated on the Arc Cell. He had re-immersed himself in an older project to build a very special kind of suit, one that he had been working on for two years now, in secret.

In his laboratory, **FRIDAY** , the artificial intelligence that replaced JARVIS after the rise of Ultron, was helping Stark piece together the final parts of the secret suit. The suit was black with a silver chest-plate and white-silver face plate. The helmet shape drooped towards the upper back of the head, resembling a small hooded effect. It had added utilities on its back, as though it were purposed to hold a melee weapon.

Stark studied it, measuring out the energy output and input through the blue holographic computer layouts that sprawled virtually around his entire lab.

"We've tested how much **electricity** this bad boy can take yet, Friday?" Stark curiously asked, switching the holograms to another diagram featuring the full body layout.

"Not yet, Tony, but the new electrical absorbent material we installed a few months ago is strongly built. At the least, it can fly through an electrical thunderstorm without issue." Friday modestly answered in her Irish-accented voice.

"Well, a blast from Thor's hammer gave us a thousand percent energy output that one time. I'm just hoping that it can withstand a sustained electrical attack."

"Perhaps, but until we conduct the testing, we won't know for sure." Friday assured him. "It's still **just a prototype** , Tony."

"It's been a prototype for too long, though." Stark murmured, sitting down on a nearby leather chair and stared at the suit.

"What do you intend on calling it?" Friday curiously asked.

"I'm not sure yet." Stark scratched his blackish gray goatee.

Suddenly, he heard the doorways beyond the entrance to the laboratory open. He turned to see two familiar-looking individuals approach the lab through the window that looked out into the connected glass-wall of the hallway that ran perpendicular to the laboratory.

"Tony, Dr. Hank Pym and Scott Lang are here to see you. They declined to wait for an appointment." Friday calmly pointed out.

"Oh, here we **go**." Tony sighed, spinning in his chair to face the double-doored entrance to the lab burst open.

In came the aged Dr. Hank Pym, dressed professionally in a black three-piece suit, his hair and beard a graying white, and his eyes icy blue as he fixed his attention to Stark.

" **Oscorp** , Tony, really?!" Hank angrily questioned without a greetting, throwing a newspaper to a nearby workbench.

"It's too much for you to **tell me** that you're making a business deal with Osborn but not so much for you to tell the **media** about it?!"

"Calm your roll, old timer." Tony crossed his arms. "We haven't made **any deal** just yet. I was just looking into hiring some of his engineers for the Arc Cell."

"Osborn's young, naïve, and not to mention **shady**! His father's corporation has been in more bad **shit** than I'd like to believe!" Hank crossed his arms.

Moments later, Pym's associate, Scott Lang, walked in. He was wearing black jeans, a plaid red and grey shirt, and sipped on a strawberry banana smoothie from Baskin Robbins. The black haired middle-aged man looked like he was trying too hard to still look young.

"Why'd you do it, Tony? Why'd you make the deal with the Nazis?!" Scott jokingly asked, mocking Hank's outrage.

Hank ignored it.

"Look, **all I wanted to know** , is if we could use some more of his chemical engineers to help us figure out the chemical compounds to make the Arc Cell an energy-efficient battery. I didn't know that the kid was going to end up asking if we could make a human exoskeleton as a joint-project!" Tony raised up his arms in defense.

"Besides, who are **you** to tell me what deals I can and can't make?"

"When you asked me to help you work on the Arc Cell, you said that you would keep the shady business deals aside and keep it strictly official. You remembered what I said?" Hank asked, beginning to pace about the lab as he began to lecture Tony.

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me..." Tony retorted.

" **I** said that I'd be **willing** to help provide the solution to make the energetic molecules shrink small enough so that we can pack the energy required for a power plant into the size smaller than a **chapstick**. What use is there to hire on more chemical engineers to provide chemical compounds for energy efficiency when the molecules are going to be **shrunk** anyway?"

"This is great, by the way." Scott interrupted, prompting Hank and Tony to look at him. " **Pym** and **Stark** working together for the good of mankind… This is so ironic yet **so good**."

"Well, if you've got **nothing else** to add on it, Pym, I'll be returning to my work at hand now." Tony stood up from his chair and returned his attention to the suit he was working on.

"Jesus Christ, **another** suit?" Hank looked at it with an unimpressed expression.

Tony ignored the question, continuously tweaking parts of the suit as needed and indicated by Friday on the holographic screens.

"This one looks pretty **badass**." Scott commented as he took another sip of his smoothie.

Hank scowled at him.

"What?" Scott asked in his defense. "Oh, come on, **don't** tell me that it's not a good-looking suit."

"It's cute." Hank scoffed.

"At least I don't have to try making it **shrink** to not get hit." Tony remarked.

"Speaking of suits, **Hank** , do you have the machine-wash instructions for the Ant-Man suit?" Scott curiously asked. "Because I'm **pretty sure** it hasn't been washed in **decades**. It's… it's pretty nasty, man."

"Oh, quit your whining. It's **been washed** before. You just got to make sure it's in the cold wash cycle, or you'll cause the suit to shrink."

"I… I don't know if that was a joke… cause it's the **Ant-Man** suit and it's **supposed** to **shrink** or…" Scott joked, failing at the attempt.

"You know what I meant, Scott!"

"Is there another reason you two are here for?" Tony irritably asked, turning his attention back to them.

"How goes the search for the big green guy and… what's her name… Scarlet? Wando, Wacko, Wanda…?" Scott then asked, in order not to seem intrusive.

Stark quickly reminded himself that Scott was still fairly new to the Avengers and that he didn't exactly get to know **everyone** on the team.

"You mean Banner and Wanda?" Tony corrected him. " **No**. There isn't much I can do when I have S.H.I.E.L.D. keeping a close eye on **everything** I do. There's no privacy anymore with me. I'm pretty sure those creeps watch me when I shower too."

"So, is this room being monitored too?" Hank inquired, looking around the walls.

"Nah. Friday can detect if there were listening devices."

"I'm currently blocking over two-hundred remote connection attempts originating from the Triskelion!" Friday blurted out.

"… no need to be a show off now." Tony murmured, resuming the work on the suit.

"Aren't you afraid that S.H.I.E.L.D. might find out about your connection to R.O.G.U.E.?" Scott curiously asked, reaching the end of his smoothie.

"They **know** I'm still connected to them. Sitwell's just biding his time. I don't really care if they do. I'm pretty sure they're still after **webhead's** pack of friends… and Steve's boy, Bucky, of course."

"Alright, **well** , there **are** more pressing matters Scott and I have to do." Hank glanced at his watch, ready to dismiss themselves. " **Be weary** of Osborn, Stark. I'll call off our deal if you wind up with him."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Sooooooo, does that mean we're headed back to Cali?" Scott happily asked Hank, grinning from ear to ear.

" **We**?"

"Well, you know Hope and I… we're kind of like… an item now… so…. Yeeaaaaahhh." Scott stumbled. "…and I need to see how Maggie's doing… and… I don't have the mula to pay for a return flight."

"I thought I told you to **not** date my daughter, Scott." Hank calmly yet sternly asked.

Scott raised his hands up in protest. "Holy hell, Hope's **how old** now? You can't tell her what to do!"

" **Yes I can** , Scott."

"You… stubborn **old man!** "

Hank and Scott left the lab, arguing about whether or not Hank had the authority to tell Hope who she could and couldn't date. Tony didn't bother to see them off. He was too immersed in the suit to notice. It didn't bother him so much that Hank was looking out for the interest of the Arc Cell, but he didn't want him to act the over-protective father-figure and dictate the contracts Tony added on to the project.

With several meetings coming up discussing the progress of the Arc Cell, Tony was finishing up the morning's work on the suit and ordered Friday to stow it away until he returned to it later.

"Tony, there's an encrypted transmission coming through to your private uplink with R.O.G.U.E." Friday suddenly stated. "It's from… Agent Coulson."

"That's weird. He knows better than to contact me in broad daylight."

"He says it's urgent, Tony."

"Ha… **everything's** urgent with Coulson. Sure, whatever, patch him through to the holographic monitor." Tony turned his back for a moment to pull out a cold water bottle from the miniature fridge he had in the lab.

"Tony…" Coulson's voice calmly greeted him.

Tony turned to see Coulson staring at him, his holographic projection crystal clear, and wore his usually business-casual suit and tie.

"What's **so** urgent that you have to call me and risk S.H.I.E.L.D. picking up our communication?"

"A simple ' **hi** ' would've suffice."

" **Hi** , Coulson. It's **so** nice to hear back from a wanted fugitive and **risk** my whole life and career." Stark sarcastically retorted.

"Well, **Hill** wanted you, specifically, to know that… **Fury's back**. Nick Fury… he's back, Tony!" Coulson proudly told him.

"Great." Tony plainly answered. "That it?"

Coulson instantly looked confused. "I thought you'd be happier to hear about it. I know **we** are."

"Yeah, well not **everybody** is like you, Coulson. Now, if you'll **excuse** me, I have an Arc Cell to create."

"But, wait, Tony!" Coulson tried to stop him but Tony quickly shut off the communications uplink.

Tony uncapped the bottle of water and took a few sips of it, nonchalantly looking around the lab. As he finished, he placed the bottle on one of the work benches.

"Did they have time to triangulate Coulson's location?" Tony quietly asked Friday.

"No, they almost did towards the end." Friday assured him. "S.H.I.E.L.D. camera feeds indicate that they're sending a Quinjet full of armored agents over here to investigate."

Tony sighed. "Damn it, I **knew** that was going to happen. Friday, clear my calendar and let my associates know I'll be out of town for a few weeks. Make sure Scott knows and try to stall the agents from entering the facility for as long as possible."

"Will do, Tony. Are you going to head over to R.O.G.U.E.'s headquarters?"

" **No** , I'm going on vacation." Tony sarcastically answered, pressing on one of the holographic buttons which caused one of the wall panels to flip over, revealing the latest Iron Man suit, Mark XLVI, fully equipped and ready to use.

"Energy output?" Tony inquired to Friday.

He allowed the computer chips that he placed in his body to call the pieces of the suit to magnetically armor him up.

"It's at full capacity, Tony."

"Good. Make sure S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't make a mess of my facility. I'd **hate** to have to sue them again." Tony remarked, placing the plate-mask over his face and boosting up into the air.

"I'll keep you updated." Friday assured him.

Iron Man nodded. Friday opened up the large sky-view mirrors that were at the ceiling of the lab, allowing Stark to fly right through, escaping the facility and the area, quickly going supersonic as he made his journey towards Alpha Base.

In truth, Stark was relieved to hear that Fury was alive and well and with the only agency that he can trust right now. Over the years, the Avengers had lost the influence and shine that made them who they are, that made them **heroes** in the aftermath of what Loki and the Chitauri did to New York so many years earlier.

Now, Stark wasn't sure where that left them. He wouldn't know for sure, he wasn't the leader of the Avengers anymore, Rogers took over the mantle and forced his hand when he decided to recruit the Winter Soldier, an ally that Stark **refused** to work with.

But, despite their fallout, Stark knew that with a threat like the **Reaper** out there somewhere, that the world would need the Avengers together once again, and they would need to be **together** in order to stop them.

* * *

 _Mid-afternoon at King T'Challa's Royal Palace, nestled within the high jungle-mountains of Wakanda, Africa…_

Shortly after **Black Widow** and the rest of the Avengers discovered the source of the mutant disappearances, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s discreet campaign to subtly **remove** the Avengers by any means necessary forced most of them to seek refuge with King T'Challa, **Black Panther** , who barred S.H.I.E.L.D. from entering the country that he ruled.

They kept in close contact with Agent Coulson and the rest of the R.O.G.U.E. network. S.H.I.E.L.D. knew this by now, and only reinforced their search for the Avengers in order to keep them from interfering with their plans and discredit them to the public.

They all sat around one of the conference rooms throughout the palace, the walls crafted beautifully in silver murals of panthers and landscapes of the Wakandan jungle. The regally designed mahogany circular table sat in the middle with golden-crested wooden chairs to compliment it.

The dark-skinned King of Wakanda, T'Challa, sat amongst the other Avengers, wearing a black long-tunic that was custom of the Wakandans. The fairly young, rough-bearded leader sat, looking bored as he heard the other Avengers speak back and forth about the present matters at hand.

"…Look, there's just a **possibility** that S.H.I.E.L.D. might try something to get to us here in Wakanda." Sam Wilson, **Falcon** , confidently stated. "Guys like Sitwell don't play around. He **knows** what we're capable of and he **knows** that we don't support what he's doing."

"I agree." The synthetically red-skinned **Vision** nodded. "There's not a lot of room for complacency here. With respect to his majesty, we **may not** be safe here in Wakanda."

T'Challa studied both Falcon and Vision, hearing the concern in their voices for not only themselves but for the lives of his people. He admired this, but it was a good reminder that he also had to keep the lives of his people in consideration as he kept his fellow Avengers close.

"I've **already** spoken with representatives of S.H.I.E.L.D." T'Challa assured them both, his Wakandan accent thick within his stern voice. "There is **nothing** in Wakanda that should be of interest to them and I don't wish for their agents to roam my streets."

"That won't stop them from using mercenaries." Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, commented, holding up a cup of coffee with his left metallic cybernetic arm and taking sip.

"Wakanda's army will defend its people if it **must**." T'Challa staunchly answered. "I'll wage war with **anybody** who dares to hurt my allies and my people."

"We appreciate that, your majesty, we really do." Steve Rogers, **Captain America** , kindly answered. "But our intentions here are not to burden you with our presence. If S.H.I.E.L.D. wants us, I suggest we bring the fight to **them**. We got to hurt them where they're most vulnerable."

"Why not leave that to R.O.G.U.E.? They've been doing that for two years now." Sam suggested.

"Because they don't all have superhumans at their side, Sam." Rogers sternly answered.

"They've got **Specter Haven**. They could've come to **us** to save **Fury** but they turned to that bunch of specters." Bucky spoke in a low tone, hinting at resentment.

"Let's not forget that **Reaper** is still out there on Asteroid M." Vision calmly reminded them all. " **Now** is the time for unity. Maybe it's time we regroup with R.O.G.U.E. and join forces to bring down Asteroid M once and for all."

"It'd work if Hill wasn't so determined to reunite S.H.I.E.L.D. and R.O.G.U.E. first." Sam commented, crossing his arms. "If it were up to me, I'd say screw S.H.I.E.L.D. and take out Reaper first. Get rid of the bigger problem that presents a threat to our existence first."

"If we're going to assemble an army, who do we have that might be willing to help?" Rogers inquired.

Vision pondered this for a moment.

"Well, remember how we spoke about reaching out to other groups to help us? We spoke about the Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and a few others if needed. Why don't we send people to go request aid from them?"

"The X-Men are practically living in a military academy right now at Xavier's school." Sam remarked. "I'm not sure if we'll be getting much help from those guys soon. Maybe **Wolverine** , but even that guy is a long shot."

"I don't believe we have the capability to reach out to the Guardians." T'Challa calmly added. "Our only connection to them was **Nova** , and he's been missing for nearly a year now, if I remember correctly."

"It sounds like we're limited." Bucky scoffed.

Rogers sighed, standing up from his chair and walking towards the large window panel that over looked out into the jungle-forests in the valley below the palace.

"What's on your mind, Cap?" Sam asked with concern in his voice over his friend.

Steve knew that they would need the help of the one Avenger that helped team them up together in the first place. Without the unstoppable Hulk or the mystical Scarlet Witch at their side, their efforts, even with Vision's powers, were limited, just as Bucky said.

If they are to team-up with R.O.G.U.E., then they would **officially** brand themselves as fugitives and would have to work against the nations that S.H.I.E.L.D. had under its control and influence. They would need technological resources and a whole lot of superhuman allies to help stop S.H.I.E.L.D. and whatever terror that Reaper had planned.

"We're going to need Stark." Rogers finally stated.

"Iron Man?" T'Challa asked absentmindedly, not having heard the name in a while.

"Who else?" Bucky murmured. "You sure about that Steve? He made it clear the last time I saw him that he'd love nothing more than to kill me."

"Tony's stubborn, that's something we **all** know. But, we need to move on from this and push forward. I **pray** that Stark can see that too."

Vision nodded in agreement.

"Alright. Well, **aside** from the mutant disappearances…" Sam changed the subject. "… do we want to pursue these **other** characters that have popped up on our radar?"

"What are you talking about?" Bucky curiously asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"There are **rumors** of **'special characters'** that are being investigated by S.H.I.E.L.D. But, Agent Coulson was able to retrieve the files from his sleeper agents and notified us of their existences. They might be of some use to us if we can get to them first before S.H.I.E.L.D." Vision answered.

"Who do we have?" Rogers inquisitively asked, returning to his seat.

Sam opened up his smartphone and started looking through the files that Coulson sent to him and started to name off the description of each.

"We've got some red-suited character causing all sorts of chaos against the criminal underworld in New York. I'm surprised **Spidey** hasn't run into him. All they know is that he's ruthless, he's fast and unpredictable, and is often referred to as the **Devil of Hell's Kitchen**. He usually leaves his enemies with broken arms.

"Next, we've got another character, operates all over the U.S.A. with a liking to large city area and a vendetta against the mob. **This guy** is a lot more dangerous and **never** leaves a bad guy alive. The only reports we got is that he likes wearing black, he likes using military-grade weaponry and explosives, and he's got this strange **skull** image on his clothing.

"This last one acts a little more like a criminal from the looks of it, usually operating out of Manhattan. She's been described as a 'cat burglar'. She steals luxury items and precious treasures and artifacts… but… she wears a black 'skin-tight' suit and has 'razor sharp claws'… and something about long white hair. I'm not sure if this one's a baddie or just a robin-hood kind of a thief." Sam finished listing them off.

"It sounds like you want to **date** that last one." Bucky humored him, devilishly grinning.

"Nah man." Sam shrugged, trying to avoid the subject. "It sounds like **your** kind of girl though, your grace."

"Hardly." T'Challa scoffed. "But, maybe we can use them? Captain?"

"They all sound useful, even if they're a little…unrefined." Rogers calmly answered.

"Should we pursue them?" Vision asked.

"Not yet. Let's see what's going on with R.O.G.U.E. first at Alpha Base and go from there. Your majesty, can you provide us safe transport out of Wakanda?"

"If you're going **anywhere** , Captain, **I'll** be going with you."

"But, what about your people? The rest of Wakanda?"

"I trust my men to keep them safe." T'Challa assured him.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

…and another chapter down! :D I apologize I couldn't get this updated on Friday as I would've liked but at least most of you will have this by Saturday morning! This chapter was pretty fun to write, with **a lot** of cameos and mentioned characters involved! Does anyone want to take a stab at who the " **interesting characters** " are? :O

Once you've figured them out, **yes** , I plan to use them in the story. Although their involvements won't be anything major, I wanted to include more of the overall Marvel Universe in this one! :D Keeping the focus on Spidey as best we can though! :)

I've unfortunately **no new** stories to endorse from the community, but I'll say that I've embarked on an academic search around the website in other communities for other writers worth mentioning! I'm chronicling each writer I meet that I think is well-polished and places a lot of effort into their stories on my page! I encourage you all to look at it if you'd like! :)

I **should** be able to have the next chapter up by next Saturday, god-willing! I'm scheduled to stick around for July and August but I may have a few weeks to a month to go on a business trip near late August-through September time-frame. I'll keep you guys posted.

Thanks for reading guys! :D Oh, and let me know what you thought about that short **Dr. Strange v. Reaper** battle within Peter's head! :D

 _ **As always, feedback is appreciated!**_

 _ **Stay tuned for The X-Men Factor**_

* * *

 **Reader Responses**

 **Retrokill:** The suspense continues, my friend! :D Thank you for your continued support and thanks for the review! I hope you enjoyed this one!

 **Man285:** Lol, I _already_ know just how much you liked it man, I hope you enjoyed this one and we'll talk about it soon! Thanks for the review!

 **Sport21:** Thanks man, it means a lot for you to think so! I've loosely adapted Luke & Jessica from _Marvel's Jessica Jones_ on Netflix, so if you watch the show, it's kind of sort of going off of that!

With _Avengers, Revisited_ and _The X-Men Factor_ chapters, I'm opening up the scope of the story to encompass the greater Marvel Universe to see what the **other** characters are up to, you know? What's your opinion on that? I'll reply to your message soon as well, my friend, and thanks for the review!

 **The Story's Shadow:** That's what I did my best into ensuring I depict, my friend! My favorite character-part had to be either **Luke's** or **Ava's** , what was yours?

Oooooh, she'll have the chance to kill Kraven this time around, my friend… But he was the best villain I saw as matching the story for what I'm intending to do this time around. What do you think of this chapter? :D Thanks for the review!

 **The Night Hunter** : Really?! That means a lot for you to say, my friend! I'm doing my best here and dedicate a little bit of time out of each day to ensure these chapters get pumped out. I appreciate it and thanks for the review! :D

 **Death Fury:** Thank you, my friend! :D I'm glad you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think of this one! I appreciate the review! :)

 **ArtemisBAMF1218:** What's exactly stopping you from creating an account? If you need any help on it, perhaps I can be of some assistance? Let me know once you do, I'd definitely like to talk about your ideas further if you don't mind! :D

Please, if you have another song suggestion, I'm open to it, my friend! The last one helped me write Ava's piece! I might have something similar to what you have in mind for another one!

As far as Ava's piece went, I definitely wanted her to seem weak and in a state of confusion as far as where she stood in both the world and in life. She misses Peter so much that her emotional stability is mixed up and it's not giving her a chance to keep the Tiger in-check. Once we get to her part in the story, she'll have a chance to get back at Kraven and hopefully Spidey can help guide her back to stability for good, although, it may take some time for that to happen, and for the love to blossom again. :/

I feel bad for keeping Specter Haven out of the loop for several chapters now but I want to keep the focus on Spidey for this story, with emphasis on all parts of the Marvel Universe with the knowledge that Reaper's planning something really bad. But, the chapter after next will be all about them and they'll regularly show up from there! :)

Pretty much, there's more to S.H.I.E.L.D. now with Sitwell in charge and Hydra's definitely going to make an appearance because of it!

Really? That's what I've heard about the new seasons… :/ I don't like that they did that at all…

What's your opinion of Dr. Strange now after he's fought off Reaper out of Peter's mind… or did he? :O!

I loosely adapted Luke and Jessica's part of the chapter from _Marvel's Jessica Jones_ on Netflix and went from there! He's definitely found more peace with what's going on than with the rest of the team. Maybe he's got Jones to thank for that? :O

Definitely, I enjoyed Danny's part as far as the visual description of the region of Japan he was in. I currently reside in Japan, so it was nice to be able to describe what I see every day and use what experiences I've seen to help piece that one together! :D Haha, that was a great quote!

I had hoped that the banter between the Guardians was going to be joyful! :D My intention with Nova this time around is to show that he's matured a little bit working back with the Guardians but still keeping that humorous edge on him! :) It helps that the Guardians are humorous themselves so the piece was fairly easy to write! I hope I wasn't too OOC for any of them!

Wow, I didn't even make that distinction, good eye! :O You're correct! It's making her vulnerable and in effect, allowing the Tiger take over that much more easily, especially when she slumbers! Ooooh, well… you'll find out more as far as being a slave to S.H.I.E.L.D. went for her!

I'm pretty excited that her part is based out of Rio, though, definitely fun to depict their culture as well! :D

Thank you so much for your feedback and support, my friend, it really means a lot! :D Onwards to the next chapter!


	7. The X-Men Factor

_**The X-Men Factor**_

* * *

 _Two days later, early afternoon inside the Main Conference Room, on-board Alpha Base…_

After Dr. Strange had ousted Reaper's entity from Peter's mind, he continued to magically trek through his mind for any remnants of Reaper's dangerous influence over him. He avoided delving too deep into Peter's subconscious, in worry that triggering a memory or an experience might Reaper in attempting to re-control his mind from wherever he lurked.

Two days later, Dr. Strange hypothesized that the only way for Reaper to have easily begun influencing Peter was for him to have been near Peter long enough to create a "mental connection" and planting his entity inside, slowly feeding off of Peter's emotions, growing over a prolonged period of time, and eventually making room for Reaper to easily take over.

Knowing all of this, the Sorcerer Supreme brought his findings to the others, explaining all of this to them in the Main Conference Room, where Nick Fury, Agent Coulson, Director Hill, and Tony Stark sat.

Stark had just recently arrived to help with R.O.G.U.E.'s progress now that the Avengers were being targeted as aiding the faction.

"…I eventually figured that Reaper's influence over young Mr. Parker must've fed off of his insecurities and his worries over his lost team. I tried to see if maybe something from his past had anything to do with it, but his recent memories surrounding his old team seemed to trigger the strong hold of influence." Dr. Strange calmly explained to them all.

"It sounds like Parker's been through the wringer these past few years, then." Tony remarked. "Has he been working by **himself**? Or have any of you made **any** contact with him?"

"Being the fact the Director and I are **both** fugitives, we couldn't possibly have made an attempt to interact with Peter. Sitwell's kept him in his crosshairs for years now." Coulson quickly explained. "If we had made any communication with him, it would've jeopardized him."

"That's no excuse. We should've sent somebody to at least **talk** to Parker, keep his head cleared." Fury sternly stated, taking a sip of the coffee he had in front of him. "Who had the easiest access to talk to him?"

Stark glanced over to Strange, scowling at him. This prompted the magician to take a deep sigh.

"I suppose **I'm** the most at fault here. I've watched over his progress as Midtown High's principal but… I kept my distance, worrying that if I involved Peter with our operations with R.O.G.U.E., that it would place him in greater danger."

"I'm pretty sure ' **taking care of Parker** ' was part of the job description I gave you when you were given the job." Tony aggressively pointed out.

"How was **I** supposed to know that he was being mentally targeted by the **Reaper** , Stark?"

"You've got your magic, don't you?!"

"That's not how my powers **work**!" Dr. Strange defended himself.

" **Enough**!" Fury broke up the argument, slamming his fist on the table. "Let's stop placing blame on each other!"

"Hey, don't look at me. Your _**Houdini**_ over there started it." Stark riposted.

Dr. Strange returned a disapproving expression.

"Has Parker been discharged by our medical staff?" Hill curiously asked.

"Not yet. He's still resting in his room in the medical platform." Dr. Strange politely answered. "I can go retrieve him, if you all would like to speak to him."

"No. Not yet, anyway." Fury told him. " **I'll** speak to him after this."

"That's a good idea." Coulson concurred. "If anyone can reinforce Peter's confidence, it's you, sir."

Fury agreed. After all, he was the one responsible for getting the team together in the first place all those years ago. He, above anyone else, had a level of strong influence over Peter and the way he carried himself as a teenage superhero. Fury hoped that it still remained true.

"Now, for the next matter at hand…" Hill opened up a manila folder she had in front of her and began looking through the paperwork. "…The **X-Men**."

"You sure they'll still be any good after all the **restrictions** S.H.I.E.L.D.'s placed on them?" Stark skeptically questioned.

"Charles Xavier is still a powerful ally to have. The X-Men **want** humans and mutants to live together in harmony. R.O.G.U.E. wouldn't be fighting if **we** didn't want the same." Coulson respectfully answered. "We naturally **need** them as our ally."

"Just how strict is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control over their academy right now?" Dr. Strange inquired.

"Bad. They're using the Manhattan Incident and what happened on Island M as justification to ensure that their activities are tightly monitored. Messages going in and out are reviewed by the supervising agent."

"Have we been able to speak to them at all?" Fury curiously asked, reviewing the paperwork Hill had.

" **Beast** , Hank McCoy, has been serving as Xavier's liaison to the government. He's been petitioning to have the government order S.H.I.E.L.D. to loosen their control, but they're not budging." Hill answered the question.

"I'm telling you, they can't parlay with the politics behind S.H.I.E.L.D. Sitwell's got more bureaucrats in his pockets than I have **suits**." Stark shook his head in disapproval. "I'd write them off as a lost cause until we get S.H.I.E.L.D. out of their hair."

"Well… someone **has** been talking to them." Coulson quickly intervened, causing the others to stare right at him. " **Phantom's** been in communications with Wolverine. I don't know by what means they're communicating, but it's been working so far these past few years. It's how we know of how bad their situation is at the present time."

"Okay, even **if** we have some way to talk to them, they can't do **anything** without the agents finding out." Stark pressed on the skepticism that the X-Men might help.

"Hmm… What if we… helped them out?" Coulson vaguely asked the group.

"What do you mean?" Hill wondered.

"What if we… **helped them escape**?"

"That could work!" Stark loudly agreed.

"That wouldn't help our cause out any by breaking them out." Fury quickly corrected him. "It'd show that we've no respect for their policies. Until they're actually **torturing** those mutants, there's nothing we can do… yet."

"Do you think we should send a message to them via Specter Haven, then? Ask them if they need our help?" Hill inquired.

"I'm not the Director anymore, Hill, **you are**. That's **your** call."

"Sir…" Hill stammered.

She'd been Director of R.O.G.U.E. for two years now, she had more than an idea of how to make decisions now. But, after having Fury return to them for so long, she had begun to direct more questions to him, referring to his wisdom and experience. Hill did her best not to revert back to her days as one of Fury's special agents, answering only to him. She had sacrificed so much now to do that.

…and Fury refused to allow her to give up her authority for him.

" **Look**." Fury stopped her short. " **I** say we bring this up at the peace talks. We can directly address their treatment of mutants there, shed some more light on the subject."

"That **won't** solve a **thing**." Stark interrupted. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is good at manipulating the public. They won't care about the mutants."

"It's all we can do for now." Fury's tone calmed down, taking a look at his watch. "We'll continue this later. I'm going to see Parker now."

"Don't let us keep you." Stark sneered.

Fury stood up and excused himself from the table. He marched out of the Main Conference Room and out into the Plexiglas-walled corridors of the Alpha Base. The others watched him walk away, right before the door to the room slid shut.

"I see he's still wearing that **ridiculous** black coat." Stark murmured, rolling his eyes.

"It's good that you brought Parker here, Strange." Director Hill assured the Sorcerer Supreme. "Web-head's been on Fury's mind ever since he got back."

"I only regret that the rest of Spider-Man's team isn't here." Dr. Strange sighed. "…especially Miss Ayala."

"I almost forgot that those two were **dating**." She smirked, remembering how Peter and Ava were so infatuated by each other.

Stark stood up to stretch his legs and stared out into the underwater ecosystem. He honestly liked it. The view of the underwater ecosystem gave the dull and gray environment inside the base some form of vibrant life. He'd go so far as to say he was **impressed** by how far R.O.G.U.E.'s evolved, even without the base, but he'd never admit it to Hill or Fury.

"Have we any progress with the rest of the **Avengers** , Director Hill?" Dr. Strange suddenly inquired.

This caught Stark's attention.

Hill glanced over to Stark then back to Strange.

"We have. **Black Panther's** personally visiting us here within the next few days once they have a secure transport fly them out here. **Falcon** , **Vision** , **Cap** , and **Bucky** will be with him. **Romanoff's** made contact with **Clint** , it looks like he's agreed to come as well. And hopefully, we'll be seeing **Scott Lang** here with us soon."

"He'll be here." Stark sternly assured her, ignoring the fact that he'll be meeting Captain America and the others who fought against him during their little civil war that happened within the recent year.

"I trust that both you and Cap will put your differences aside for this?" Hill asked with a firm tone.

"Yeah." Stark answered, turning his back on them to look outside once again. "I just hope **he** can too."

After a short walk through the busy metallic corridors, Fury finally reached the medical wing. There, he was escorted by one of the medical nurses to Parker's room. He stopped before entering, watching the young man through the glass window that looked into the room.

Peter was sitting up, wearing a white medical patient suit with R.O.G.U.E.'s symbol patched on the right arm. He was chowing down on the sandwich and chips lunch that the doctors had given him. The web-slinger didn't bother to look at the window, seeming to be too busy eating to care. Fury clasped his hands behind his back, examining Peter for a moment.

He didn't take the moment to take a good look at him the first time he had seen him when Dr. Strange arrived to Alpha Base. His attention was focused on making sure Peter was being cared for, making sure that his mind wasn't turned to mush by the Reaper.

Now that he had time, he realized just how much Parker had grown. The scruff around his face indicated that he was badly in need of a good shave. He had bags under his eyes, which showed that he was losing sleep, and he had been losing sleep for quite a while now. After a few moments of watching him, Fury decided to finally step in.

Peter glanced over, his eyes quickly widening in shock. Fury couldn't help but to faintly smile.

"You know, a young man who likes to web-swing from building to building once told me that I had a knack of 'bringing bad news to people around me'." Fury calmly greeted him, gesturing the quotations.

"N-Nick!?" Pete shot out of his bed and ran over to hug Fury. "Nick, is it… is it really you?! We all thought you were dead all these years! **I** didn't think I'd ever see you again!"

It took Fury by surprise initially, but he quickly had to remember that it had been more than two years since they **last spoke**. Their last meeting resulted in Fury being arrested and carried off to the Triskelion to await trial. However, even to Fury, it all seemed like he had **just** seen the web-slinger recovering from that fight with Phantom back on the original Manhattan helicarrier.

"It's great to see you again too, kid." Fury returned the hug, feeling something fatherly-like, as though he was hugging his long lost son.

He quickly shook off the feeling.

Fury then took a seat on the nearby metallic chair that stood perpendicular to the medical bed. Peter couldn't shake the look of astonishment from seeing his old mentor again.

"You need some shaving cream and a razor these days, web-head." Fury sternly joked.

"Heh, yeah, I guess I do." Pete sat down on the side of his bed, scratching the small hairs on his jaw-line. "Jesus, Nick, it's been... so long."

"I know, kid, I know. It seems like yesterday that we were trying to figure out how we could bring the fight Phantom, Taskmaster, and Deadpool… and now…"

"…Phantom's on our side." Peter finished the sentence for him, faintly grinning. "The **irony**."

Fury let out a small chuckle. " **Actually** , I was going to say that we've got **more enemies** now, but you're right. Ol' Cruz finally put all that behind him."

"Have you seen him yet?"

Fury nodded. "He's the one who saved me from S.H.I.E.L.D. in Afghanistan. Well, him **and Specter Haven**."

"Afghanistan?! Whoa…" Peter sounded amazed. "So you met **Wolfe** , **Fox** , and **Firewalker**?"

"I did." Fury nodded. "They're an interesting bunch. I'm glad Phantom's got himself some friends."

Peter faintly smiled and nodded at this, solemnly remembering about his own **friends**. Sam, Luke, Danny, and Ava. Fury quickly picked up on this, reading the expression that Peter gave off after Fury had mentioned it.

"We'll get them back, Parker. You have my word. Sitwell's not going to get away with breaking up my **best team**."

"You think they're still alive...?" Peter's voice sounded somewhat hopeful.

"All four of them are more than capable enough, web-head. Don't doubt them."

"I just… miss them a lot, you know?"

"I know. But, you and I **both** know that they wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over it. Not Cage, not Alexander, not Rand… and **especially** , not Ayala. She would've called you soft for even doing that."

"Yeah, well, you didn't know her like I did. She was a real softie too."

"To a degree, you all were." Fury grinned at the corner of his mouth. "I remember Stark used to refer to you all as the ' **Junior Varsity Avengers** '."

"Heh, we may as well have tried to pretend we were. Luke and Danny once came up with this bright idea to title us ' **Heroes for Hire** '. Sam quickly shot it down, kept saying that we needed to get **paid** first. Ava thought it was downright dumb and that it made us sound like a much of anti-heroes." Peter reminisced, faintly smiling.

Fury leaned forward in his seat, clasping his hands together.

"Don't give up on them, web-head. They never gave up on you when you led them."

Fury turned to the doctor's table that ran parallel to the glass window, a backpack lying on top of it. Peter's belongings were inside, along with his modified Spider-Man suit. He gently reached into it and grabbed the mask. Fury examined the mask with its new modifications and held it up for Peter to see.

"I couldn't be more proud to know that no matter what had happened… you didn't give up being **Spider-Man** these past years."

"It's… it's all I had, Nick." Peter shrugged.

"It's who you **are** , Parker." Fury returned the mask to the backpack. "With S.H.I.E.L.D. trying to shut us down and this **Reaper** waiting to come after us at the horizon, I want **Spider-Man** on **our** side... What do you say, kid?"

"You want me to help R.O.G.U.E.? That'd mean I'd be a **fugitive**!"

"Would you rather fight with Sitwell's S.H.I.E.L.D., then?"

"Well… no, but." Peter hesitated. "What about my friends, Harry and MJ, Nick? Aunt May…?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. won't touch Harry, he's too powerful. His relationship with Ms. Watson keeps her safe. Don't worry about Aunt May, we've got that covered."

"How?!"

Fury chuckled. "I believe **Coulson** has a larger reason to want to protect her than you."

"Eww…." Peter shook his head.

"Tell me about it."

"Well… I guess I've got no other choice, then, huh?"

"If it makes you feel any better, the **Avengers** are about to be branded fugitives too, possibly terrorists." Fury tried to make some light of the situation.

"Well… I guess so then." Peter reserved a little bit of reluctance towards it.

"That's the spirit, kid." Fury cheerily stated, crossing his arms. "So, you're going to tell me your version of what happened after I got sent away or what?"

Peter raised an eyebrow. "…Only if you tell me where the **hell** you've been in the past two years."

Fury chuckled. "My life as a prisoner for S.H.I.E.L.D.? Sure, why not?"

The two of them conversed for hours after that, Peter recounting the Manhattan Incident and how he, Phantom, the team, and the Avengers went after Taskmaster and Deadpool, telling him about how he almost died had it not been for Phantom saving him.

He also told him about the search for the mutates of **Specter Haven** and how he, Ava, and Phantom traveled to the Yukon, Los Angeles, and Chicago to find the members of the specter team. He also mentioned what happened at **Island M** and how some of **Les Echets** , Magneto's failed mutate experiments, helped in the fight against Magneto.

Fury listened attentively, asking questions here and there about the present event.

Afterwards, Fury talked about how Deadpool had literally massacred his way into breaking Fury out of the Triskelion and how he had been in Deadpool's hideout for months, describing the strange **machines** that the Merc with a Mouth had been building for Taskmaster.

He went into detail about how S.H.I.E.L.D. broke into the hideout and captured Fury. Since then, he had been transferred from S.H.I.E.L.D. base after S.H.I.E.L.D. base, being interrogated, tortured, beaten, and mentally and physically drained for information.

Peter was shocked to hear all of that, but not surprised by how well Fury was doing after all of that. He figured that Fury's resolve only hardened that much stronger after going through an ordeal that would've broken a weaker man. It only went to show just how determined Fury was to make things right, no matter what.

All in all, it was great to have Nick Fury back again.

* * *

 _That mid-afternoon at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, in Xavier's office…_

Sounds of birds chirping were heard in the ambience, drawing farther away from the academy's grounds. A tall fence outlined the property, humming with its powered electrical component that would kill upon touching the metal. S.H.I.E.L.D. built it shortly after claiming responsibility for the school and all the mutants in it, Professor Charles Xavier included. It was just one of the many changes the discriminating agency had instilled upon the X-Men.

When S.H.I.E.L.D. first arrived on the scene two years prior, they weren't that strict or oppressive…yet. Students were finding ways to outsmart the agents and trick them using their powers. X-Men like Wolverine and Cyclops encouraged it, so that S.H.I.E.L.D. understood that **they** were the **intruders** in their home.

However, as time went on, the agents became smarter. S.H.I.E.L.D. outfitted themselves with gear that would protect their minds and their bodies from any sort of manipulation or influence from the mutants. Decreeing a special clause to "discipline" mutants, the agents started to then use physical force to punish mutants who got out of line. The X-Men protested this, but S.H.I.E.L.D. left Xavier with little to no power over the regulation of the institute.

Inside the regal halls of the academy, it seemed like any other normal school. Students roamed the hallways, chattering and laughing amongst themselves. Teenage love bloomed beneath the notorious set of stairs that led to the left-wing of the school, groups studied outside on the grass lawn, and school sports were still holding practices after school.

The catch? **There was always someone watching**. Armored S.H.I.E.L.D. agents marched through the hallways, patrolling the grounds with their shock batons, one of them always carrying a **specialized rifle** , rumored to target only mutant DNA. Although never seen in action, the mutant students feared upsetting the agents because of this.

On this day, in-particular, a S.H.I.E.L.D. convoy of three armored trucks and a black Cadillac Escalade drove up past the guarded gates to the grounds and pulled up on the front doorstep.

An armored agent stepped out from the Escalade and opened the right back-passenger door, allowing for Hank McCoy, the blue-skinned and blue-furred **Beast** to step out wearing his clean black suit with a white dress shirt underneath, his velvet blue tie in a full Windsor.

"Thank you, sir." Beast nodded in the direction of the agent.

A detail of agents were there waiting for Beast's arrival. They escorted him through the hallways, pushing past students so that they could arrive at Professor Xavier's office. One of the agents opened up the wooden, brass-knobbed door to allow Beast inside.

The mutant walked in to see the world-renowned mutant, Professor Charles Xavier, sitting at his maghogany desk. The aged bald-headed mutant glanced over to his door and back to the computer screen at his desk, typing away at something that seemed most important to him.

The office was well-decorated with awards and memorabilia from Xavier's adventures through the years. Hank remembered some of them vividly, having lived the experience alongside Charles. Although, he disagreed with the fact Xavier still kept a high opinion of Magneto.

"Charles." Hank calmly greeted him.

"Good to see you, Hank!" Xavier modestly returned the greeting, looking over at the agents. "Thank you, gentlemen, could you please leave us for a few moments?"

The armored agent at the door nodded, closing the door behind him.

Xavier finished up whatever he was doing on the computer and turned to face Beast, gesturing for him to take a seat on one of the leather seats in front of the desk.

"How did your trip go, Hank? I trust we've made some progress?"

Beast sighed, prompting himself to take off his eyeglasses. "They refused to listen to me, Charles. None of the points I brought up justified removing S.H.I.E.L.D. authority over the school."

"Oh, no…" Xavier's voice grew grave, the fear evident.

"Director Sitwell's continuing to push the ideal that the X-Men supported Magneto's Brotherhood. They're not too fond of the fact you still hold Eric in such high regard, even after what he's done."

"Hank, he was under the influence of the **Reaper**! He wasn't conscious of his actions!"

Beast seemed unconvinced. "Well, that's not how **they** look at it."

"This is outrageous!" Xavier pulled the control to his wheelchair to move away from his desk. "I… I don't understand it, Hank. What have we done wrong?"

"That… isn't everything, Charles." Hank warned. "Within the next few days, Congress is voting on a bill that will require every mutant in the country to be registered, their powers included. There's even been talk about including a mandatory **tracking chip** clause, where S.H.I.E.L.D. will have the authority to track mutants at all times."

"W-What?! That… that isn't legal! We're American citizens!"

"Their argument was that we're not humans, and thus there is a level of distrust, given the same three events that they've been using against us for years now." Hank calmly explained.

Xavier covered his face with his hands, feeling as though he had been swept away by a strong gust of defeat from his adversaries. He was tired of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control over the school. He wanted his students to freely practice their powers, learning how to control them on their own through proper instruction. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s presence here prevented that with all their rules and policies.

Beast stood up from his chair and walked over to Xavier, placing his large furry blue hand on his old friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Xavier. I wish there was more I could've said or do. But, the congressmen have barred me from visiting them anymore. We've lost our influence in the capital."

Xavier deeply sighed, placing his hands down. Beast began to pace around his office, beginning to draw up solutions to their situation and what they could do.

"Perhaps we can reach out to a newspaper, a news media outlet that may be sympathetic to mutants, perhaps? There's plenty of mutant sympathizers world-wide..."

As Beast trailed on talking, Xavier looked up to the wall perpendicular to his desk, where he had framed his most valued accolades and pictured memories. He saw pictures of Eric and him during their years as the first generation of X-Men over forty years ago. It all seemed like a dream now.

"…we need to concentrate on the welfare of the students first, Charles. Maybe if we find another way to…"

Xavier began to think, using the strong mental abilities he had been born with to deviate a solution to their problem. His eyes grazed the pictures of his dead longtime rival, Eric Lensherr, **Magneto** , one of the most powerful mutants Xavier had ever come across. His death at the betrayal of the **Reaper** broke Xavier's resolve in his fight for the rights of mutants.

Although he never always agreed with Eric, he couldn't help but realize that Magneto's predictions that were once thought to be prophecies of madness were coming true… humanity was now actively targeting mutants. With the possibility of mutant registration, it wouldn't be long now until their worst fears were realized, and humanity would wage a full-scale hunt… or war… on mutants.

"…perhaps these pro-mutant human protestors would provide some assistance? We could send a petition…" Hank continued rambling on.

The professor balled his fist, in a manner that befit his old rival's behavior. For a moment, he lost himself in silent and calm anger against humanity, but… he quickly remembered **why** he and Magneto were different. No matter the cost, Xavier **knew** that the end goal should and always be harmony between mutants and humans.

He dug deeper into his subconscious, trying to figure out a solution. S.H.I.E.L.D. deemed Cerebro far too dangerous for Xavier to use, limiting his powers, but it didn't diminish what he already had. The true enemy here was **Reaper** , the one responsible for Magneto's death, the one responsible for these chain of events that have placed mutant-kind in a difficult position.

 **Reaper** was the enemy. And if the X-Men could help take him down and bring him to justice, then maybe they still had a chance to prove to the world that mutants can be trusted.

But, first things first, he needed to **look after** his students **first**. Once they were safe, then the X-Men could do what they needed to get done.

"…but, I'd have to see if I can convince Jean Grey to help me organize a peaceful protest." Beast finished, finally stopping in his tracks and looking at the blank expression on Xavier's face.

"Charles? Did you listen to **any** of that?"

Xavier calmly nodded. "I did, Hank. But…"

The professor glanced over to the hidden camera that was engraved into a bust of Aristotle that stood in the corner of his office. He knew months ago that S.H.I.E.L.D. had it installed to listen in on their conversations. Luckily, he had Cyclops disable the sound feature on the camera and nothing ever came about it.

"...Perhaps we can explore other solutions?"

Beast instantly looked confused.

"I've **just** stated what options we **have** , Charles. There isn't a lot of room for us to exercise diplomacy here!"

"Then perhaps we should exercise something more… impractical." Xavier pulled the control stick on his wheelchair and moved to face the window behind his desk that overlooked the courtyard.

"What do you mean?" Hank joined next to him.

"These students are in danger. I can't confirm it but these S.H.I.E.L.D. agents aren't here for our safety, that much has been blatantly clear for **years** now, but I suspect that their primary target are our students. Whatever they plan to do with them, I won't allow it to happen."

"We've discussed this, I know this." Hank sounded a little irritated. "Charles, just get to the point. You know I've never liked it when you talked in circles like this."

"We need to get these students out of here, Hank. The academy **isn't safe** anymore… nowhere in the United States is safe right now. They need to be escorted to someplace safe, away from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jurisdiction."

Hank sighed.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is a **global agency** , Charles. They're everywhere. Even known mutant havens like Brazil aren't safe from their control."

Just then, Xavier witnessed a rare sight, a bald eagle glide across the courtyard. It seemed to have spotted a prey within the forest nearby, circling around and taking a closer look. Suddenly, a brown hawk shot out of the tree-line, snatching up the small prey before the eagle could strike.

"R.O.G.U.E." Xavier concluded.

"The fugitive faction?" Hank shook his head. "I'm not sure, Charles…"

Xavier ignored his comment.

"Logan's been secretly speaking with the Phantom, yes?" Xavier curiously inquired.

Hank sighed. "Yes. He's also been speaking with **Gambit**. Well, **Rogue's** been speaking with him, anyway, through whatever means Logan's been using to talk to them."

"What? I thought Gambit was arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D. several months ago?"

"You **know** how slippery of a character Gambit can be." Hank shrugged. "He's been on the run for a while now, never in the same place for too long.

"Perhaps we can reach out to him? See if he could provide some assistance to his brethren here?"

Hank stepped back to the front of the desk, crossing his arms in thought.

"Maybe. But, what exactly are you trying to do, Charles?"

"We'll talk about it all in time, Hank. For now, see if Logan can't get us in touch with Specter Haven. Please."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Hank stated with discourage in his tone, turning to walk out of the professor's office.

"Me too, old friend."

Xavier continued to look out the window, watching the teams of agents patrol the school grounds, threateningly asking students for their IDs and where their designated location was supposed to be. He frowned at this. This wasn't the academy he fought so hard and tirelessly for decades to create. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s **tainted** its legacy. And now, he wanted nothing more than to put a stop to their reign of terror, even if it meant risking the X-Men against **Reaper**.

* * *

 _Later that evening, within the dining hall of Xavier's Institute…_

The students all happily crowded into the large and regally built dining hall within the Institute, where rows and rows of polished wooden tables were set. The ceiling rose up by three-stories high, with large glass windows that allowed light to shine inside. Beautiful electric chandeliers hung from the ceiling and on the walls were framed pictures of previous X-Men from years past like Alex Summers " **Havok** ", Armando Muñoz " **Darwin** ", Sean Cassidy " **Banshee** ", and a recent addition of **Magneto** himself. It's why the students have dubbed the hall the " **Hall of Heroes** ".

As the sunset began dimming above the horizon, the only light that still illuminated the halls were the chandeliers.

The students lined up along the far right wall as they approached the food stations where some of the X-Men helped serve the students along with human chefs. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stood nearby, watching the students as they picked up their trays and walked over to their tables.

Some of them began to toy around, subtly using their powers to creep up to their friends in line or using their fire-based powers to burn the food as a prank off of a nearby student's. The agents quickly assessed them but nothing serious came of it, as there have been worse situations.

After the students received their food, the X-Men staff walked up to grab theirs. A special table was assigned to them where the professors could sit and speak with each other after a long day of teaching.

Jean Grey, Scott Summers, and Ororo Munroe all sat next to each other at the far end of the long table.

"Wow, the meal looks pretty good today!" Scott happily stated, fixing the placement of his red sunglasses on his face.

"It could always be better. I heard that Professor Xavier was trying to get more experienced people to man the cooking staff." Ororo commented, taking a bite out of the decently seasoned grilled steak.

"With all the restrictions on the school, I don't see how that's going to be possible." Jean Grey skeptically debated.

Scott shrugged, biting into his food. "We had a pretty good staff of cooks before **S.H.I.E.L.D.** showed up. For all we know, they could be feeding us poison!"

"Keep your voice down, Scott!" Jean Grey quietly warned him. "You don't want them to hear, do you?!"

"I've said worse things about them to their faces." He riposted.

"Poison is a little paranoid of you, Scott." Ororo took notice. "I don't see them gaining anything by killing us all with that."

"True." Scott agreed. "At least I'm not as paranoid as **Logan** these days."

He glanced over at where Logan usually sits at, noticing that the chair's empty.

"Speaking of which… where is he?"

Jean Grey shrugged. "Maybe he decided to turn-in for the night."

"No… He's usually here."

Scott began looking around the dining room to see if maybe the Wolverine had sat somewhere else or if he was at the food station grabbing the last shreds of food. But, he was nowhere to be seen.

"You know, now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen him at all today." Ororo pointed out. "I usually run into him during the lunch break but I didn't see him today."

"Very. What is he up to?" Scott wondered.

Suddenly, the grand wooden doors into the hall burst open, and a shadowy figure stalked inside. His entrance shot the room silent, prompting the agents to withdraw their shock batons and look at who had entered.

The person wore worn dark-blue jeans that were fairly sagged all the way down to the black boots, faded at the toe enough to see that they were steel-toe. He had a dark-grey hoodie underneath a black-leather jacket. After entering, he quickly removed the hood over his head revealing to be **Logan** … and he looked **pissed off**.

The long black-haired and black bearded Wolverine ignored the agents who looked about ready to pounce on him and began marching over to the food station, with all the eyes of the dining hall fixed on him.

"What the hell?" Jean Grey murmured under her breath.

The rather obese light-skinned human cook that stood at the food station looked mortified to see Wolverine approach him. Logan stopped, with only the food trays to separate them.

"Food." Logan's voice was stern, direct.

The brown-haired cook looked at Logan, then at the agents, then back again.

"Are you deaf?!" Logan shouted. " **Food!** **Now!** "

"Control yourself, **Wolverine!** " A male armored S.H.I.E.L.D. agent approached him, gripping Logan's shoulder. "You're here past serving hours. You missed your chance to be fed."

Scott stood up from the table, along with Jean Grey and Ororo, starting to walk over to diffuse the situation. But, two agents quickly stepped in to keep them from interfering.

"Get back to your table, professors!" The female armored agent of the two sternly directed them.

Reluctantly, they obeyed, knowing that the agents were well within their right to discipline them. They didn't want to have to create a larger mess than what Wolverine was already accomplishing.

Logan ignored the agent, threateningly staring down the human cook in front of him, balling his fist. The agents saw this and called up the only two agents with specialized rifles within the hall. They held their rifles at the ready carry position at Wolverine.

"Leave the chef alone or we'll be bringing you to the supervisor **paralyzed** , Wolverine. Go to your table and **take a seat**." The agent continued to press him on, obviously angering the mutant even further.

"I won't repeat myself again, **mutant**."

Logan clenched his teeth, trying hard to calm himself. He turned around to face the rest of the spectating hall and the crowd of agents that had surrounded him with their shock batons.

"Since when did we have a curfew on dinnertime, huh?!" Wolverine shouted out to the hall, looking at both the students and the agents.

"Who gave you pieces of shit the **right** to order us around?!" He directed to the agents.

The two agents with rifles aimed down at Wolverine.

"Final warning before we put you down to the ground, Wolverine! **Stand down!** "

Logan finally looked over at the agent. "You first."

Within seconds, Wolverine's sharp claws extended out from the gaps between his knuckles, dropping his weight downwards as he dodged the laser-like shots from the specialized rifles. He pounced upon the authoritative agent and sank his claws deep into his chest, slashing them sideways as it shredded through the armor, splattering blood in all directions of the agents.

"Fire! Put him to the ground!" One of the two riflemen agents ordered, continuing to shoot at him.

But, Wolverine was too fast, he deflected the laser shots by lifting up the dead agent's chest-armor and jumping after them, claws spread open and violently beheading them on the spot.

"Holy shit, **now he's done it!** " Scott loudly stated. "Jean, Ororo, the rest of you, let's get these students out of here before they're pulled into the mix! Someone get Professor Xavier down here!"

The other X-Men obeyed, helping the terrified students of all ages get past the ensuing fight and into the hallways, where more agents were beginning to rush towards the hall to stop the mad Wolverine.

As the two riflemen agents toppled dead to the ground, others tried to rush in to bash Wolverine's skull in with their shock batons, but they had little to no effect on the raging mutant. He quickly slashed and stabbed through the few agents who attacked him, but the others cornered him again, leaving him without room to escape.

"Logan! You must stop this, friend!" The tall and muscular metallic-skinned **Colossus** tried to calm Wolverine down from behind the crowd of agents trying to rush in.

Wolverine ignored him, angrily growling at the agents who kept their distance with their batons at the ready. He crept up closer to them with his claws spread wide open, his grey hooded painted with blood.

"Where are the rest of those agents with rifles!?" One of them asked the group.

"They'll be here soon! Then we can put this dog **down**!"

"Please, Logan. This violence will not solve anything!" Colossus kept trying to advise him with his thick Russian accent.

" **I'm done** playing guinea pigs for these bastards!" Logan shouted out, glancing at the empty area of the hall past the surrounding crowd of agents.

He then looked at Colossus. "You tell **Professor Xavier** , I'll stay in touch!"

"What do you mean?"

Wolverine didn't answer, he then sprinted towards the agents, stabbing and slashing, most of them falling dead into their own pools of blood. He ran past them, not towards the door, but towards the large window panels on the walls. As he passed the door, a group of riflemen agents aimed their sights down on the Wolverine, unleashing a volley of laser blasts at the mutant.

Wolverine jumped up to one of the tables and used it as a platform to jump up and through the window panel, shattering it to pieces as he got to the other side, narrowly dodging the laser-fire.

"Quick! Let's get agents on the other side! Stop him before he escapes the compound!"

"He won't be able to get very far, sir! Not even his claws can slice through that reinforced electrical fence, too high for him to jump through!"

The agents routed through the hallways, shouting at the X-Men who attempted to help to not interfere. As they reached outside into the dim-lit grounds of the academy, they spotted Wolverine running out into a dark open field.

They rushed after him, the riflemen shooting off their laser rifles at Logan. But, the mutant was too quick and agile, dodging each shot as the agents advanced themselves on him. But, they knew that he was running out of field, and soon he'd run straight into the tall electrical fence.

"Let's corner him, men!"

"Show **no mercy!** "

Wolverine stopped at the electrical fence, looking up to see just how tall it was, at least two stories high. He could hear the agents begin to circle him, leaving him without any choice…

"Grrraaaagghhh!"

Logan violently ripped through the metal, sending a deadly surge of electricity to pulsate through his body, internally and externally frying him. The agents caught up to him, watching in horror to what was occurring before their eyes. Some of them sadistically grinned.

But then, the impossible occurred.

Wolverine wasn't dying from it. He kept pressing on, even if in pain, ripping through the metal, finally to the point he had shredded a hole into the fence. All this while being electrocuted.

"Well?! What are you all waiting for!? **Stop him!** "

They opened fire with their specialized laser rifles. But, it didn't seem to affect Wolverine whatsoever. He regained his strength and sprinted off into the forests behind the fence. At that moment in time, the alarm at the academy finally went off.

The agents pursued after the Wolverine into the forest, unsure of where he may had disappeared to. S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly dispatched back-up from their nearby regional helicarrier. The evening turned dark into night over the academy, as the most dangerous mutant alive, the subject of the infamous Weapon X project, has broken free from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control.

* * *

 _The next morning, driving down the busy traffic-filled streets of Washington D.C…._

Finally having fixed his damaged Pontiac GTO, Lucas drives down through Georgetown, inching closer to the heart of the metropolitan city, with Jessica at his passenger seat searching through some of their files their next client's sent to them on her laptop. She chewed gum at the same time, popping it out every few minutes as her eyes skimmed the files.

Stuck at another intersection, Lucas glanced over at the monitor display to read along with her. A young woman from out near Fairfax Village in D.C. had contacted them about her missing husband.

The middle-aged man of Italian-descent had been missing for weeks, citing that he had done dealings with the mob before and that there could be a connection. The wife didn't trust the police to find a known felon, and so trusted their two-partner team at Alias. Jessica, of course, charged extra for their standard searching fee.

"Find anything we could follow-up on?" Lucas curiously asked, pressing his foot against the pedal as the light turned green.

Jessica let out a brief sigh. " **No**. This guy was dirtier than a public toilet. He's been arrested for drug trafficking, smuggling, and illegal weapons possessions. But, he was never more than an **associate** for the Italian mafia."

Lucas raised a brow.

"He's probably 'sleeping with the fishes'." Jessica continued. "…But, we might as well get **paid** for it."

He chuckled. "That's all you care about? You used to like doing these investigations because you were helping people."

"Whoa, whoa, calm yourself, big guy!" She stopped him. "How **drunk** was I to have said **that**?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Anything else?"

She kept reading, mumbling the words to herself.

"Hmm… this is weird."

"What?"

"Well, before he disappeared, the wife says that he kept coming home all paranoid, thinking that he was being followed or something." Jessica briefly explained.

"Probably cops or his mobster buddies." Lucas suggested.

"She said he claimed some 'white guy' wearing a black leather coat was following him around, watching his every move."

"See? Probably the Italians, then."

Jessica read something that surprised her enough to raise both her brows. "…with a white skull on his shirt?"

Lucas glanced over at her, returning his attention to the road. He knew what she talked about. They had reviewed a case from Maryland several months ago where a child predator travelling from New York was gruesomely killed by some unknown assailant wearing a black leather coat and white skull on his chest. The reports described someone heavily resembling **Frank Castle** , the lone gunman who warred against several crime families in New York.

"So what, you think the **Punisher's** in town?" He skeptically asked her.

"Pfft, he's just some made-up shit, Lucas." Jessica scoffed. "The **real** Frank Castle was killed in prison back in New York. This other guy's probably just a wannabe. Besides, maybe the guy was just acting crazy."

"They **say** he was killed. I never really saw a body in those news reports, did you? I'm pretty **sure** it was a cover-up."

"Oh, **shut up**." Jessica shook her head sassily. "Why the hell would Frank Castle be after small-time chicken shits like this guy?!"

"I don't know. **You** tell **me** , Jessica."

"Okay, whatever." Jessica closed up her laptop. "Let's just get to the lady's house, ask her what else she know, and **then** follow-up on these leads."

Lucas nodded, smiling. He liked teasing her about these investigations. Although, he did admit to himself, the presence of a Punisher-like character did somewhat worry him. However, until they found out more, he didn't let it bother him.

He tuned on the radio to 97.1 Wash FM.

"…following up on some breaking news from upstate New York, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s issued out an arrest warrant for one **Logan Howlett** , one of the staff that operates out of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. A state-wide man-hunt is being conducted by S.H.I.E.L.D. and local residents are advised to stay indoors, as this man is considered armed and **very dangerous**."

"Ha! Figures that the **Wolverine** broke out of that place first!" Jessica sarcastically laughed, popping out another bubble with her gum.

"Looks like you and your old team aren't the only ones being hunted by S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore, Lucas!"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

First things first, I'm so **terribly sorry** about both my absence and the follow-on that I had thought to abandon both the community and the trilogy. I was… regrettably going through a lot in my personal life, and writing the story was placing a huge burden on my shoulders. However, as I was going through this time, I was also reminded of why I shouldn't just up and abandon this trilogy. I know that's a lame excuse to give and you all aren't here for excuses, but I care about the readers, truly I do!

Big thanks to **The Story's Shadow** and **Man285** , who both helped me realize that I shouldn't just give up. Admittedly, I was being childish with the whole ordeal. And for that, I apologize immensely to those who are following the story! :(

However, I published out another chapter! The story continues! :D In this one, I wanted to emphasize the steps R.O.G.U.E. was taking to assess their growing number of resources, to include the Avengers and what they'll do with the X-Men. Of course, I wanted to show the reunion between Fury and Peter! I wrote the scene as best I could, I'd like to hear what you all think of it! :)

The primary focus was the update on what the X-Men are up to and the Wolverine's escape from the institute. His escape's leading up to the role that the X-Men will have alongside Spidey and Phantom! :D I was going to originally include Gambit in the chapter, but a mention of him will do for now!

 **Also** , on my page, I've put up the entire chapter planning process for the rest of _**Vanquished Revenants.**_ I encourage you all to go check it out to see how many chapters are left and to get at least a title hint as to what I have planned for the rest of the story! Of course, I'm still open to suggestions, so please let me know what you all think! :D **I know** , it's **a lot** of chapters left but… Rome wasn't built in a day!

I've a few special shout-outs today… _**Partners**_ by **lost-in-elysium** was a really great short-story! A different take on the Ava/Peter stories, but great nonetheless! Also, I'd like to re-emphasize _**Animal Instincts: Infected Humanity**_ by the one and only **OfficialUSMWriter**. If you haven't already checked out her work, give it a click!

Thank you all for the continued support and your continued patience! I promise it won't go unnoticed! :) Unfortunately, I still have to attend that business trip in two weeks' time. I **will return** mid-October with a few more chapters, but then I'll have to attend **another** trip that'll take me from 15 November – 15 December… then off to Rome for my honeymoon!

 _ **As always, feedback is appreciated!**_

 _ **Stay tuned for Specter Haven**_

* * *

 **Guest Reader Responses**

I'll be leaving responses for guest reviewers from here on. Reviewers with FF accounts will receive a personal PM from me to thank them! :D

 **Nightwing 1 (Guest)** : There you are! I was wondering where you had gone, my friend! It's a bit unfortunate that… when you reviewed chapter six, I went through that troubling phase of not writing for a while! The answer's **no** , I'm not quitting anytime soon! Not while this story's unfinished! The pairing conflict in the show didn't really bother me! I've stopped watching after Season 2, so it didn't affect me! :D

Well, every writer has their reasons for leaving, my friend. I, for one, aren't leaving for something like **that**. Thanks for the review! :D

 **No one (Guest)** : So sorry it took so long! :( I hope you enjoy this updated chapter, my friend! Wait no longer!

 **ArtemisBAMF1218** **(Guest)** : Terribly sorry about the wait, my friend. I seem like a broken record now apologizing, but here's the updated chapter! :) I hope you're still following this, at the least! :D

Thank you so much for your kind review! I'm doing my best to ensure the polished finish for this last part of the trilogy, making sure that both the events of _The Phantom_ and _Specter Haven_ don't conflict. It's tedious, having to keep on referencing both stories to make sure I'm on the right track!

You have your own story, you say? Well, let's hear it! If you ever get an account, please, I'd love to hear what you've got to the table… and if it's your own story, I would say that you could try and write it out yourself! Give credit to you, yourself alone! :)

Aha! Now those two songs will have to go into my compiled list of music! Thank you so much for your references! They'll definitely help in writing Tiger's sections! :D You have a very eclectic taste in music! I love it!

Thank you again! Having Specter Haven at the centerpiece alongside Spidey and his team is definitely the crowning achievement in this entire trilogy!

I'm including more and more of Marvel's ensemble of characters. Now, along with Dr. Strange added into the mix, we can expect seeing Wolverine, Rogue... maybe Gambit? :O It'll be exciting to see!

As far as Jessica/Luke goes, they're still technically "friends", nothing more just yet. Flirtatious? Yes! But Selena was a part of his past he hasn't really told Jess yet! I hope this chapter revealed a little more of how they conduct business as the Alias investigators!

I live on one of the Ryukyu Islands. :) But, I've frequented mainland plenty of times!

Thank you for your overall review of the chapter! :D A couple things though, Hulk **isn't** dead! :D Remember, Natasha said that they couldn't retrieve a body from the plane wreckage! The man survived the attack! But, I agree with what you said about Natasha/Clint being a great couple, even if it isn't romantic!

Aha, you were on the money with Daredevil and Black Cat! The other one is Punisher, as referenced in this chapter! :) What do you think of the characters that are being introduced, even if mentioned, so far? What did you think of the reunion between Fury and Peter? And how the conditions are at the Xavier Institute?

Thanks again, my friend! :D I really appreciate it!


	8. Specter Haven

_**Specter Haven**_

* * *

 _The next day, early morning on-board Alpha Base, R.O.G.U.E.'s headquarters…_

After the medical staff cleared Peter from the medical platform, Nick Fury personally saw to it that Coulson provided a room for him within Alpha Base. Peter settled in well, keeping in the back of his mind that he forgot to wash his dishes back at his apartment in Manhattan, and wondering how he was going to pay the rent on it now.

Peter quickly showered up, brushed his teeth, and changed into a clean black R.O.G.U.E. jumper that the agents wore. It was all the clothing that they could provide to him while his civilian clothes were being washed.

Once he was ready, he walked with Fury from the billeting platform over to the main command platform, where Director Hill, Agent Coulson, and Sharon Carter were, planning the next week's operations and what they'll present to the table during the Manhattan Peace Talks.

"Who else is here, Nick?" Parker curiously asked along the way, passing by agents and engineers alike.

"Some of the **Avengers** havejust arrived, to include **King T'Challa** , **Sam Wilson** , **Vision** , **Bucky Barnes** , **Steve Rogers** , and **Tony Stark**."

"Oh boy, weren't Tony and Cap fighting each other a few months back? I heard about it on the news." Peter inquired.

" **Yeah**." Fury sternly replied. "I guess this meeting will be interesting."

As they entered the heart of Alpha Base, the first thing that both Fury and Peter heard was the raging argument between Cap and Stark, with King T'Challa, Vision, Bucky, and Sam standing aside along with Hill and Coulson. The specialists who were working in the command platform couldn't help but look at the on-going shouting match.

"…and **you're the idiot** that keeps on protecting him!" Stark shouted.

"It wasn't his will, Tony, he was being controlled!"

"Uh-huh, **yeah sure**! Tell that to my **dead** parents, asshole! Tell that to the man who made the metal frisbee that protects you from getting hurt!" Stark angrily stated.

"If I could've stopped him, you **know** I would have, Tony! This problem **shouldn't** have divided us! You're the one that forced the dividing edge with the Avengers! You just can't put that past you, can you?!"

"Me?! You're just as guilty! You allowed **The Winter Soldier** to poison this team!"

"His name's **Bucky** …and he's actually not a really bad guy, Stark." Sam Wilson tried to interject.

"You stay out of this, fly-boy!" Stark retorted.

"Stop, please!" Vision sought to reason with the two of them. "Before we allowed ourselves to become so prideful to the point we **fought** each other, I had said that **now** is the time for **unity** , my friends. If we are not **united** , then the **Reaper** will have the capability to **destroy us** that much easier! Please… this has to stop!"

"…Rhodes wouldn't have wanted this, Tony. Not now. Not while the **monster** responsible for his death is still out there." Steve added.

Tony clenched his teeth. "You leave Rhodes **out of this**. And don't you for a second **think** that you can speak on his behalf. You've already insulted my dead father and mother's memory. I won't let you insult his."

"Tony…" Hill tried to intervene, but the billionaire wouldn't hear it.

Stark stomped away from the group, pushing past Fury and Peter, who both stood nearby as the two Avengers argued.

"Well… that went well." Bucky sighed.

"Fury, why didn't you do something?!" Director Hill sternly asked.

"There was **nothing** I could've said that would've changed anything, Hill." Fury answered, approaching the group of them along with Peter.

Steve slowly shook his head, staring at the direction Stark had sulked off towards. "He just won't listen to reason... Any future where **Bucky** is involved and alive doesn't sit well with him."

"He thirsts for revenge. It's poisoning his heart and his judgment." King T'Challa solemnly added. "Vision is right. **Unity** is **now**. These petty arguments need to be placed aside so that we can help stop the **Reaper**."

"Let him cool off." Fury suggested. "Just give him some time."

"We don't have a lot of time on our hands, boss." Coulson warned him. "The Avengers need to be united **now**."

The others concurred.

Peter remained quiet, just standing next to Fury as the Avengers talked amongst each other. Suddenly, he felt Fury's right hand at his shoulder, preparing to speak to the heroes.

"Avengers, I'm sure you all remember **Peter Parker**. **Spider-Man** has agreed to join us in our fight against S.H.I.E.L.D. and Reaper." Fury re-introduced him, a tinge of pride in his voice.

The Avengers, Hill, and Coulson all turned to stare at Peter, most of them with blank expressions. King T'Challa expressed an unimpressed look while Cap and Sam Wilson nodded in greeting.

"Uhm… **hey everyone**!" Peter clumsily greeted.

"So **this** is the famous **Spider-Man**?" King T'Challa skeptically stated, slowly approaching Parker.

Peter instantly caught a whiff of strong cologne that emanated from T'Challa's all-black dress suit. His majesty stopped in-front of Parker to take a close look at him, standing just a little bit taller than the web-slinger.

Parker didn't know how to answer. He just stood there trying not to make eye contact with the king. He simply stared at the Wakandan Flag pin on T'Challa's collar, studying the Black Panther symbol on it.

His majesty then backed away, turning his back on Peter to face the others.

"He's just a **boy**." He stated. "How can we use a **boy** to fight for us against an enemy like the **Reaper**?"

"You weren't there at **Island M** , your majesty. Peter here led his team against Magneto and his forces alongside Phantom and Specter Haven." Captain America vouched for Peter. "He's an extremely valuable asset, trust me."

"Hmph. We shall see." T'Challa remained unconvinced.

"Well, damn, it's great to see you again, web-head!" Sam Wilson approached him and shook his hand very brotherly-like.

"Good to see you too!"

Vision greeted Peter as well, but Bucky kept his distance, merely nodding at him. It was apparent that the web-slinger still had a lot to learn about the Winter Soldier, and vice versa before anything friendly was to develop.

Before the awkward silence that followed became **too** prevalent, Fury quickly said something to them all.

"Now, since the **Avengers Initiative** was **my doing** , I would like you all to please follow me down to the operations platform. We'll discuss more about what R.O.G.U.E. would like to utilize the Avengers for in the coming days."

"What about Natasha and Clint?" Cap curiously asked.

"And don't forget the ant-guy, Scott." Sam added.

"They're not here yet. But, while I've got you all here, it's best we start talking." Fury answered, beckoning them to follow him opposite where he walked out of.

"Peter, you stay with Hill and Coulson, they have more to discuss with you." He glanced back to say, hoping Peter didn't think he was just up and abandoning him for no reason.

"Got it, Nick!"

As Nick Fury and the Avengers walked off the command platform into the connecting corridors between platforms, Director Hill and Agent Coulson approached Parker with faint smiles.

"It's so great to see you again, Parker." Hill shook the web-slinger's hand. "For a second, we thought we lost your mind to the Reaper."

"No kidding." Peter scratched the back of his neck nervously, trying to forget that whole ordeal.

"Listen, I'm **really** sorry that that happened, guys. I don't know **how** Reaper must've gotten into my head. After I had woken up, I just couldn't believe what Dr. Strange was telling me, I didn't want to believe it for a second. I just **feel bad** for letting it happen."

"Don't be, Parker." Coulson warmly placed a hand on Pete's shoulder. "You couldn't have possibly known that Reaper was going to subject you to his influence."

"The **important** thing is that he's not tormenting you anymore." Hill assured him. "…and we couldn't be more **proud** of the fact that you've decided to join us here at R.O.G.U.E."

"Yeah, about that…" Peter quickly spoke up. "So, am I technically a **fugitive** , now? What'll happen to Aunt May? Harry? MJ? What about my apartment?"

"We've arranged for Aunt May to be relocated to another country while things get underway. Some of my trusted men will ensure she's safely transported and that her belongings go with her." Coulson assuredly answered.

"Wait, so does that mean she knows I'm Spider-Man?! She'd **never** agree to do that on her own free-will!"

Hill sighed. "No, Peter, **Coulson here** is the one arranging all of this. She doesn't know that you're Spider-Man."

"I thought you said **I'd** be the one to tell him?" Coulson defensively asked her.

"Then tell Parker, Phil!" Hill gestured him to go ahead and say something.

"I **already know** that you still got feelings for my aunt, Coulson. That's no surprise."

"Well, **I told** your aunt what I **actually** do…and that I work for R.O.G.U.E." Coulson seemed hard-pressed to tell him.

"What?! Why?!"

"It wouldn't have been easy to keep it all a secret from her when our faces are plastered all over the news every night, talking about how we're terrorists working to bring down the United States." Coulson briefly explained.

"So, Coulson secured a secret uplink to her house and communicates with her a few times out of the week." Hill added, crossing her arms.

"So, what about her trip to Europe?" Peter curiously asked. "Is she going to have to cancel that?"

"Well… that trip to Europe is actually our plan to get her out of the country. I've been looking at safe-havens in Germany, Italy, maybe Switzerland." Coulson promptly answered. "I don't think she minded it at all. I love the fact she's so free-spirited, not caring if she's going to be on the run with a fugitive like…"

"Ew, okay, **stop** , Coulson. Whatever you do with my aunt is **your own** business. Thanks for looking out for her, though."

"Yeah, sorry, almost got carried away there!" Coulson nervously smiled.

Director Hill rolled her eyes.

"What about my friends Harry and MJ? Fury said that Harry was ' **too powerful** ' to be touched or something?"

Hill glanced over to the giant digital global map monitor within the command chamber and saw that the specialists were assessing a situation with one of their teams that had just made contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. in Brazil. Coulson glanced over as well but pulled Peter aside while Hill did her job as the director.

"Sorry about that. There's been increased activity abroad these past few days, now with the **Manhattan Peace Talks** coming up." Coulson explained to him.

"Talks?"

Coulson explained how the UN had ordered a chance for peace to be established between the two warring factions, since their conflict had now spread beyond American borders. It was now a global issue. S.H.I.E.L.D. and R.O.G.U.E. agreed on meeting in Manhattan, New York for the talks, with Fury representing R.O.G.U.E. on Director Hill's behalf.

"Jeez. Let me guess, Fury wants me there at the talks!" Peter sarcastically asked.

Coulson shrugged.

"I'm not sure, Parker. Maybe, maybe not. I'd play it by ear."

"Alright. So, what about Harry and MJ? And my apartment?"

"What Fury told you is **true**. Harry's ownership of Oscorp places him in a very powerful position. I wouldn't worry about it much, if I were you. As for your apartment, it's been seized by S.H.I.E.L.D., your belongings inside included."

" **Greeeeaaat**." Peter sighed. "I had a lot of personal stuff in there."

He remembered the pictures he had of the team and of him and Ava, his most treasured items. He could care less about his suits. He can always make another one, if need be. It's not like S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't **already** know of his secret identity, so finding a Spider-Man suit in his closet was the least of his worries.

Coulson placed a hand on Peter's shoulder. "The pictures of the team, right?"

"How did you know?"

Coulson grinned at the corner of his mouth and pointed towards the global map. There were three large circular symbols that stood out from the other icons that kept moving on the map. The large symbols were static and stood in place where they were.

One of them, over Washington D.C., had the initials **L.C.** Another one over Tokyo, Japan had the initials **D.R.** The last one, right over Rio de Janerio, Brazil, had the initials **A.A.**

It took all but a second for Peter to realize what it was, and his heart dropped.

"Is t-that?"

Peter was at a loss for words.

"We have agents on the ground searching for them as we speak."

"Coulson… they're… they're still **alive**!" Peter felt overjoyed.

"It's not over yet, Parker. Director Hill and Fury have cleared us to go search for them ourselves if they don't turn up before the peace talks."

"Us?" Peter's hope sounded through the roof.

"Yes, **you and me** , Parker, we'll go find them together. Did you already forget that I was your principal once upon a time?"

Peter laughed. "I had almost forgotten."

"I think it's high time we reunite your old team, Peter. Let's wait and see how these peace talks go, and we'll put your worries at ease."

"Thanks, Coulson. God, thank you, so much!"

"Don't thank me. You can thank Dr. Strange and his all-seeing magic." Coulson couldn't help but smile at Peter's happiness, knowing that it's only reinforced his optimism.

They watched on a little while longer while Director Hill continued to assess the situation, which ended up being a minor incident where the two factions temporarily came into the same area in the city, no direct contact ever made.

Shortly after, **Black Widow** , **Ant-Man** , and the recently un-retired **Hawkeye** arrived to Alpha Base, where they rejoined with their Avenger counterparts and planned ahead for the upcoming peace talks.

* * *

 _Late afternoon inside The Sanctuary, somewhere in upstate New York, United States…_

Deep within the lands farther in-land of New York was a secret bunker that was designated as a **safe house** , specifically for Nick Fury back during his early days at S.H.I.E.L.D. as director. He never revealed its coordinates or location to the agency, ensuring that only he and his trusted agents knew of it.

It was sturdily built, reinforced with concrete and solid steel-meshed walls that could withstand a nuclear blast. There were several rooms in the underground sections of the bunker that made up a major portion of the facility. Power was provided by a secret connection to a massive power-plant closer towards the urban areas down south.

The location was ideal, being nestled right at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains within the valley of the Mohawk, hidden by nothing but forest for miles around. The only means of arriving to the bunker was through a series of dirt roads that led to abandoned farmhouses and warehouses that remained lost to the passage of time.

This was where Agent Coulson and Director Hill designated **Specter Haven** to base themselves out of when they first sanctioned Phantom to recruit the three other mutates to be a part of this cause. This bunker became **The Sanctuary**.

What started with only **Phantom** , **White Fox** , **Wolfe** , and **Firewalker** at first, grew into a larger faction that included the **Les Echets** mutates that were also a part of Magneto's experiments. With the original four as their mentors and instructors, Specter Haven became somewhat of a small training facility for the mutates to learn how to harness their abilities and learn from the four that founded the team.

 **Phantom** taught leadership skills and military tactics. He also conducted simulated **dream** battles where the students would train in. He would use his mental capabilities to allow everyone to connect to his subconscious, where they would be able to practice their powers against constructs of Phantom's imagination.

 **White Fox** instructed sword-fighting, martial arts, and led meditation classes as well. Her experience teaching at her dojo in Chicago proved to be useful, as she knew how to properly instruct students and give them the needed advice to improve. Since she was the only female mentor, the female students were all assigned to her.

 **Wolfe** taught marksmanship, hunting, tracking, and survival skills. Along with this, he also led the students on physical exercises through rigorous obstacle courses that he set up himself outside the bunker in order to increase their endurance and stamina.

 **Firewalker** instructed primal power offenses and defenses, having to secretly correspond with professors from the Xavier's Institute in order to learn how to properly teach the usage of those kinds of powers. He was the most well-liked by the students, since he was the youngest of the mentors and could easily relate to them all.

After Specter Haven returned to the Sanctuary following their mission to rescue Fury, they resumed their duties in teaching the remaining students, **Maelstrom** , **Geode** , **Flurry** , **Aspect** , and **Miss Mercury**. The others, **Permafrost** , **Firebird** , **Velocity** , **Tectonic** , and **Kinetic** , ultimately completed their training and were transferred to R.O.G.U.E.

There, they led R.O.G.U.E. teams into dangerous locations and fought alongside them to take down S.H.I.E.L.D. threats or anything else that stood in their way. But, they had been gone for nearly a year now. Specter Haven had only **five** students left in their care.

Once the day of teaching was done, Phantom entered his chamber, his room fairly decorated and filled. He had a comfortable queen-sized bed with black cotton sheets and a black metal frame. There were two or three steel footlockers against the wall perpendicular to the bed.

On the white-painted concrete-brick walls were small framed pictures of Specter Haven and the past two years they've been together as a team. They were small mementos that Phantom came to really appreciate.

In front of the bed was a large desk with about three or four computer monitors. This was where Phantom conducted most of his research work and contacted allies of Specter Haven through. There was a secret uplink to Alpha Base via the bunker's hidden satellite dish which provided the communications needed to speak.

On this day, he decided to contact Coulson to obtain a status update from R.O.G.U.E. and figure out what they were planning to do regarding the peace talks and Asteroid M. They spoke for several minutes on the matter, prompting Coulson to bring up the situation with Peter afterwards.

Phantom sat, staring at Coulson's troubled expression, and listening to his old friend talk.

"…so, in the end, Dr. Strange was able to seemingly **purge** Reaper's entity from Peter's subconscious. Hopefully we won't witness another situation where Reaper takes control of his body. We can't even begin to imagine the repercussions if Reaper were to find out the location of Alpha Base." Coulson elaborated on.

Phantom, while still masked, expressed skepticism.

"However **dangerous** Reaper is, I **doubt** that he fully cares about R.O.G.U.E.'s location. He'd be more preoccupied ensuring S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't put a halt to his plans. Even more so, S.W.O.R.D., since they're right at Asteroid M's doorstep."

"Perhaps you're right." Coulson concurred. "But, I'm keeping an eye on him, just in case."

"You'd be keeping an eye on him **regardless**. You **did** say he's like a **son** to you once." Phantom smirked.

"I **never** said that. I **thought** that aloud in my head once. Thanks for reading my mind." Coulson sarcastically answered.

Phantom couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Anyway, did you tell him that Strange unraveled the locations of his teammates?"

"I did." Coulson nodded. "He was **really happy** to know that. I don't think I've ever seen Parker that happy once in his life!"

"I know he's just itching to be back by Ayala's side. I hope that girl's heart has remained the same for him as well." Phantom calmly added.

"Yeah, I don't want to have to deal with that headache if she doesn't."

Phantom remained optimistic. "I'm sure she still does."

"Maybe." Coulson shrugged. "Who knows?"

"I assume he also knows by now that you and his aunt are still together?"

"Jesus, Phantom. I really don't have to tell you anything anymore, huh? Are my thoughts not private anymore?" Coulson got on the defense.

"Actually, we **spoke** about it months ago. But, I don't have to ask to know what's on your mind now." Phantom retorted.

"Oh. Well, then **yeah**. I told him everything since he asked about how we were going to ensure that his loved ones stayed safe."

"Well, whether or not he likes it, I'm glad that you've finally found someone to keep your life **somewhat** content." Phantom's solemnness was subtle in his words.

Coulson scratched his chin for a moment.

"It sounds like **you** need someone like that in your life, Cruz."

"Hmph. Me? Why would a guy like **me** need that kind of burden, Coulson?"

Coulson chuckled. "You got to admit, it'd be a nice change-up from your ' **kill Reaper** , **save the world** , **die alone** ' agenda that you've got going on."

"Those three things are **exactly** why I don't need it in my life. I can't afford to cloud my head with false hopes and fairytales. You **know** I was never one for that sort of thing."

Coulson crossed his arms.

"As the Phantom? Maybe. But as Alejandro Cruz? I **know** he had high hopes of having a family with the woman he loved with ' **happily ever after** ' written at the end." Coulson riposted.

Phantom ignored his answer, opting to just glare back at Coulson with his white, glowing, pupil-less eyes.

Coulson shrugged. "Just saying, Cruz."

"No woman in this world **now** would consider it." Phantom sounded somewhat defeated in his words.

"Well, you've got **Fox** , don't you?" Coulson suggested.

"Fox? She's my teammate, Coulson! She's a valued friend to me. I couldn't possibly endanger that by **infatuating** myself with her. She could never love a scarred man who's reaching the end of his flame."

"…His **immortal** flame!" Coulson corrected, attempting not to laugh.

"She's… she's still my teammate. I'd rather live in a world where she's just my friend than to risk losing her over any possible **feelings** I **might** have."

"Ah, so you **do** have feelings!"

" **Moving on**!" Phantom shut out the subject to prevent Coulson from egging him on.

"Alright, Alright..." Coulson calmed himself down.

Phantom glanced over to the wall above him. There was a collection of framed pictures of him as Alejandro Cruz, years ago. There was one of him in his Marine dress blues and his ex-wife, Maria, in a yellow sundress. So much time had passed by that he was beginning to forget that once-treasured memory.

But then, his thoughts rested on his daughter, Selena, and how she was taken from him by the Reaper on Island M two years ago.

"So, you said that Dr. Strange used his powers to magically locate Ayala, Rand, and Cage, right?" Phantom inquired, completely changing the subject.

"Yes. Why?"

"Would it be possible for him to locate someone **else** for me?"

"Selena?" Coulson inquired.

"I… **Yes**."

"Well, she doesn't refer to herself as **Selena** , anymore. Just like how **you** don't refer to yourself as **Cruz** anymore. From what few reports I have on her, she goes by **Phantasm** now."

Phantom nodded. "I'm aware of this. I've been looking for her for **two years** now, Coulson."

"Why aren't you out there looking for her, then?"

"It's increasingly hard to operate with S.H.I.E.L.D. looking for us. It's even harder when I don't have a place to start looking now that I've run out of leads." Phantom answered.

"Hmm… I can ask Dr. Strange and see what he can do."

"I'd be most grateful."

"Yeah, yeah." Coulson shrugged. "You owe me, though."

"I got you Nick Fury. I don't owe you **anything**."

"Point taken."

As Phantom prepared to end the conversation, Coulson was suddenly interrupted by a phone-call in his office. After the call, he returned his attention to Phantom.

"So, I've just received word that Nick Fury requests Specter Haven's presence here at Alpha Base at your earliest convenience."

"Thanks for the heads up." Phantom sarcastically answered. "Is it time yet? The talks aren't for another week."

"You know how things are with Fury, they're never clear."

"Yeah, I know. It's **annoying**." Phantom retorted. "Very well. Send a Quinjet for us to board in the morning and we'll be on our way."

"He's also requested the presence of your students as well." Coulson added.

Phantom quickly saw what was going on. Fury was massing together the resources at R.O.G.U.E.'s disposal, The Avengers and Specter Haven. Who knows what other teams will be involved in whatever course of action Hill and Fury decide to take after (or before) the peace talks.

"We'll be there." Phantom assured him.

With that, he ended the conversation and shut down his monitors. With dinner fast-approaching, Phantom readied himself up in his evening attire. He usually wore his normal every-day armored suit with his white mask and black hood. However, when the training part of the day was over, he changed into a more comfortable relaxed set of clothes. The other mentors did as well.

He wore a form-fitting black hoodie. It was long enough to conceal his metallic bracers and rather comfortable. He slipped into a dark pair of jeans and kept his mask on, placing the hood over his head. Phantom then walked into his bathroom to look at himself in the mirror.

"Why do you always look like you're going to go out and steal someone's car?" Phantom quietly asked himself before leaving his room.

* * *

 _Minutes later, on Wolfe's obstacle course right outside the Sanctuary…_

The long and treacherous five-mile obstacle course that stretched itself through the nearby forested lands of the Sanctuary was built by Wolfe in a few months after Specter Haven settled in. It had logs to climb over, ravines to jump over, mud pits to trek through, high-degree hills to climb up, and several other obstacles.

With the weather fair, not too cold and not too hot, Wolfe took the students out for a late afternoon run through the course before dinnertime. Watching some of them endure the harsh obstacles was one of his many forms of entertainment.

The group of five mutates ran past one of the few checkpoints left, with a little less than a mile to go and the worst of the obstacles to endure left.

 **Geode** ran in front of the others, leading the pack. The dark-skinned African-American mutate wore what the others wore, a black spandex-like track suit to wear during physical training. Each one was specially made for each of them, with their own respective symbols patched on them. Geode's was a red diamond.

 **Flurry** and **Maelstrom** trailed shortly behind him. Although this wasn't a race, Flurry was gaining on Geode with her accelerated speed. Maelstrom kept trying to cheat and take flight to catch up but Flurry kept yelling at him to stop using his powers, even though she was using hers herself.

 **Aspect** and **Miss Mercury** weren't that much farther behind Flurry and Maelstrom. Mercury's continuous metallic regenerative powers kept her stamina up. So, while she wasn't that fast at running, she quickly caught up while those in front began to slow down to catch their breath.

Aspect, on the other hand, was really concentrated on his running. His skin changed to the color of his mood, turning his skin to a very bright and pale white, indicating that he was balancing his moods to stay concentrated.

From the far rear, they could hear Wolfe's howl. The hunter phantom started the course twenty minutes after them, giving them more than enough time to complete the course by the average time of two hours. But, he'd howl every time he completed another obstacle, and by Geode's count, he had just completed the one they finished not too long before.

"Damn, he's fast!" Geode commented to Flurry, who was now running alongside him.

"Tell me about it!" She answered, glancing over at him. "The old man's got a bone structure like a wolf! **Of course** he's got the speed on us!"

"Well… almost… to the last… obstacle!" Geode struggled to say as he was quickly running out of breath.

"I'll see you there!" Flurry smirked as she ran ahead, leaving Geode behind.

As Geode began to trail back, Maelstrom ran ahead of him.

"C'mon, keep going, **G**! You can do it!" Maelstrom encouraged him as he ran by.

Feeling cramps run up and down his chest, his running began to slow down by a lot. Eventually, Aspect ran into him on accident. Aspect's skin temporarily turned red in a heat of rage before it lightened to white as he shouted obscure obscenities at Geode before running ahead.

"Getting slow there, Theo?" Mercury referred to him by his first name as she caught up.

"Just… getting…a little tired!"

He started to subtly use his powers to shift the ground in a small decline so that he can gain some speed. Miss Mercury glanced backwards to make sure Wolfe wasn't nearby so she too could use her powers.

Just then, the skin of her body transformed into a liquid-metal type of material. This allowed her to run faster for a prolonged period.

Geode glanced over to her, taking a double-take since the metal covered her entire body, making it seem like she was naked but with shiny metal skin. He tried his best not to look at her rear.

"Stop staring!" She snapped.

"Sorry!"

"Here!" She stretched her left hand to grab his right. "My powers can help you regenerate your energy!"

"You sure!?"

She nodded.

He decided to trust her and grabbed her hand. She was able to transfer her regenerative powers over to him, giving him the added boost needed to keep on running.

"Thanks, Ashley!" He referred to her by her own first name.

She simply smiled back at him as her skin returned to its normal state.

"I just hope Wolfe didn't catch us doing that!" She commented as they turned around a corner in the woods, seeing Aspect, Flurry, and Maelstrom up ahead.

Suddenly, they heard loud thuds advance on them from behind. Geode looked back to see large paw-prints get smashed into the dirt trail behind them. Wolfe then appeared from his invisible state, chasing after them in his hooded dark-fur armor on all fours.

" **Cheating** , aren't we?!" He growled as he sped up to run on Geode's left side. "Well, well, it looks like **Geode** and **Miss Mercury** don't like to play by the rules! You're both **out**! Get back to the Sanctuary, now!"

"Damn it…" Geode sighed as he stopped, prompting Mercury to stop as well and catch their breaths.

Wolfe kept on running, turning invisible once more as he gained on the other three towards the last obstacle course.

After a minute or two, the both of them finally relaxed in defeat. Miss Mercury let her long black hair down from the ponytail that she had it at and cracked her neck once as she turned it to her right side. She glanced over at Geode with her bright blue eyes, seeing the golden-haired mutate stretch his legs out.

"Well, he's **definitely not** going to be happy when he gets back." Mercury commented, crossing her arms.

Geode shrugged. "I just don't understand why he keeps us from using our powers in this. I can beat this obstacle course **easy** if I could use my powers. I could manipulate the **shit** out of the ground and make this whole thing easier!"

"He's just trying to make us better, Theo." She calmly assured him, placing her right hand on his left shoulder.

"Yeah? Well, I'll see it when I believe it."

"Theo…"

"Let's just get back, Ash. I'll be happier to deal with it, then."

"All right…" She sighed.

She quickly transformed into her full-metallic-skin state. A shiny metal cape formed and draped down her back. She held her hands up at chest-level, gesturing to Geode to approach her so that she could pick him up.

"Jeez… I hate it when you have to pick me up into flight, you know that?" He reluctantly approached her.

"I know, I know, big boy." She chuckled.

She quickly jumped up into flight, with Geode in her arms, leveling right at the top of the trees so that Wolfe doesn't have a heart attack over her flying too out in the open. Once they were back, they waited at the entrance of the Sanctuary.

It wasn't long until they returned.

"Get me down! We almost had him! We almost had him!" Aspect shouted at Maelstrom, who had picked him up to fly him over to the entrance.

"Calm down, dude! He was on us before we could even **get on** the obstacle!" Maelstrom argued.

Once they were both on the ground, Flurry appeared out of nowhere, having used her accelerated speed power to run back to the entrance. She whipped her blond hair back in style, as though she was the only one to complete the obstacle course.

"Well, **that** was fun!" She happily stated.

" **Fun**?!" Aspect growled. "You call **that** fun?! Wolfe caught up to us!"

"He caught up to **you** and **Maelstrom**. **I** actually **finished** the obstacle course!" Flurry corrected him. "No offense."

Aspect glared at her, his skin turning bright red in anger.

"Well, I tried going back to help Aspect through those tall ropes we had to swing on to get through the ravine!" Maelstrom pointed out.

"I could've handled myself!" Aspect retorted.

" **Shut it, all of you**!" Wolfe's loud and growl-like voice roared through the area.

The phantom hunter reappeared from his invisibility near the beginning of the obstacle course road. He stalked the grounds, wearing his black hunting suit, camouflaged with the dark fur of a black wolf and pieces of leaves and other forms of concealment decorated along the arms and legs of his suit. He truly looked like a wild man of sorts.

His bright yellow eyes underneath his black hood glared at them menacingly as he approached them. Then, he finally unraveled the hood to reveal his rough-skinned face, his rather long grayish white hair and his full beard of the same color.

"Alright, sir, tell us what we did wrong." Geode sarcastically requested.

Wolfe crossed his arms. "Arguing amongst each other is useless, pups. You **all** fuckin' failed."

Flurry's happy face quickly evaporated into an expression of confusion.

"Uhm, Master Wolfe? I **passed** though, didn't I?"

Wolfe glanced over to Flurry. " **No** , missy, you damn sure **didn't pass**. You let your teammates behind while you sought all your glory at the finish line. This **isn't** the purpose of the obstacle course! You're all supposed to do things **as a team**! You pups are all **useless** without each other!"

"Well. If we can only **use our powers** …" Geode murmured to Miss Mercury.

"I **heard that** , boy!" Wolfe barked at him. "You think a son-of-a-whore like **Reaper** is going to let you **use your powers**? Hmm? What if he finds a way to take those powers away from you? Then what, pup? You're going to shake the earth until he surrenders?"

Geode rolled his eyes, prompting Wolfe to snarl in rage, disappearing within a matter of seconds and reappearing **inches** away from Geode's face.

"Roll your eyes at me **one more time** , **rock-boy** , I **dare** you." Wolfe threatened.

Miss Mercury placed a hand on Geode's shoulder to calm him down. Geode kept his stance for a little while longer, but eventually backed down.

"Hmph…" Wolfe shook his head, looking at the others.

"The **point** of this training is to teach you pups how to draw strength from your raw physical power! There might come a time where you're all **forced** to use it! No powers in the world will be able to help you, only your own physical might!"

He then glanced over at Flurry, Maelstrom, and Aspect.

"The second **point** was **teamwork**. That's something you **all** need to learn damn well and good before you decide to join your brothers and sisters in the fight."

Aspect gritted his teeth, his skin a light shade of red, indicating his subtle rage at hearing all of this. Wolfe ignored it.

Maelstrom and Flurry held their heads low in shame. Flurry took it the hardest, being the youngest of the group. She didn't like being looked down upon by any of the mentors, even Wolfe.

Wolfe waited for a response from the students. But, they didn't offer any. Miss Mercury stood with her hands clasped in front of her, trying not to look Wolfe in the eye and Geode had a frustrated look about him.

"We'll try this again **tomorrow**. Now **go**. Shower up, get dressed, and head to the kitchen for our evening meal." Wolfe finally ordered them.

They all nodded, turning around to walk through the front door of the bunker. Wolfe's near-perfect hearing picked up the words they spoke amongst each other about how unfair it was and that he should've let him use their powers. He merely sighed, shaking his head at this.

Suddenly, he smelled a smoky scent in the air, allowing his nose to follow it towards a spot nearby. A column of smoke wisped around near the edge of the forest.

Wolfe crossed his arms.

"I see you."

The cloud of smoke quickly ignited into a cloud of fire before dissipating into a black-hooded familiar face, **Firewalker**.

"Awh, come on, Wolfe!"

"Spying on my training session?"

Firewalker shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood! It looks like you pushed the students extra hard today, dawg!"

"No shit. They still got a lot to learn about surviving."

Firewalker placed his left fingerless-gloved hand on Wolfe's shoulder.

"You've got to **chill-out** , big man. These guys got some dope super-powers! Let them use their powers, dawg. They ain't got them for nothing! You know what I'm sayin'?"

"I know, but... this is the way I taught the other mutates! Look at where they are now."

"Yeah, but they **hated** yo ass, man. You don't want to have a bad legacy with these last guys." Firewalker tried to reason with him.

"I **don't** care."

Firewalker shook his head.

"Let them use their powers, homie. Or else, you'll lose what little respect they still have for you. That respect goes a long way. I'm just sayin'."

Firewalker then lifted his hand off Wolfe's shoulder and started to walk back towards the Sanctuary, leaving Wolfe with that piece of advice.

"Wait." Wolfe stopped him.

Firewalker glanced back.

"What up?"

"What's for dinner tonight?"

Firewalker chuckled. "Seriously? All you can think of is **food**?"

Wolfe began to subtly growl.

"Dawg, you better stop that growling. Foxy's cookin' tonight. My guess is that it'll be another Japanese dish or somethin'."

Wolfe sadly howled. "I don't like her food, damn it!"

Firewalker laughed all the way back to the Sanctuary.

With training complete for the day and the sun blissfully setting over the horizon, Wolfe and Firewalker close the hidden passageway into the underground corridors of the Sanctuary, preparing to turn-in for the night.

* * *

 _That evening, in the kitchen/dining area of the Sanctuary…_

Once Fox's meditation session with the students was over and Wolfe had taken them for their obstacle course training, she headed to the kitchen to prepare that evening's dinner. Before that, she showered up slipped into a plain white kimono, wrapping an apron around her.

She walked into the state-of-the-art kitchen that was decorated with granite countertops and a metal-finish stove. Pots and pans hung near the cooking area while knives and utensils were on top of the small island in the middle of the kitchen.

Each of the mentors split up each day and each meal with cooking shifts. Phantom usually made some Latin-style cuisine, Firewalker cooked up southern-style cooking with a lot of fried foods, Fox always made Japanese cuisine, and everybody dreaded Wolfe's mystery meat days.

Since Wolfe continuously ridiculed her Japanese cooking, she decided to try something different today. She pulled out a cook-book that Firewalker bought for one of his dishes and started to study it, eventually deciding on something she thought would make everyone happy.

She took out the pots and pans necessary for it, grabbing cans of diced tomatoes, onions, beans, and hamburger meat. As she started cooking away, she felt an unexpected presence stalk up behind her.

"I **know** you're there, **tonto**."

"I wasn't trying to scare you, Fox." Phantom politely answered.

She turned her head to see Phantom sitting on one of the chairs at the island counter-top. He was laid back, crossing his arms, looking back at her with his expressionless mask.

"Good." She smiled. "You'd be the third person that likes to creep up on me while I cook."

"Oh? Who else has?

"Well, Firewalker likes to make me think that I let my food burn at the stove and Wolfe's natural stench is too hard to miss for him to scare me. I usually catch him before he growls at me and asks me why I'm making Japanese food again."

"I've **told** him to cut it out. Don't let his harsh words get to you. He should know that we still have to put up with his slop every time he cooks."

"Firewalker refuses to eat any of his food." She quietly giggled.

"So, what did you decide to end up making?"

" **Chili**!" She happily stated.

Phantom slowly nodded in acknowledgement.

"That's definitely a change-up from what you usually make. Do you have everything you need for it? Do you need help?" Phantom got up from his seat and approached the stove next to her.

"Oh, no, thank you! That's sweet of you, Phantom. But I've got it." She assured him.

"Very well."

She glanced over at the cookbook to make sure she added in the right ingredients and started to stir the large pot that was filled with everything that she had put in. It had developed into a thick consistency but it had such an alluring smell to it.

Phantom continued to watch her cook. She didn't mind it since she was too busy looking over the cookbook to notice him. There was also the fact that she'd gotten used to his presence over the years. But, she did feel a tingling sensation, almost out of nerves, to have him near. Although he didn't exactly know how she felt about him, she wondered what it would be like if they had a moment.

She turned to look at him. His bright eyes caught her gaze. And, for a moment, they simply stared at each other.

Then… she realized it had gotten awkward.

"Ummm… so, I was meaning to ask you if you wanted to talk about Selena. I know I asked you over the radio back in Afghanistan. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable during the mission. I…"

" **No** , please don't apologize over that, Fox. It's all right." He calmly intervened.

"Did you want to talk about it?"

Phantom looked away from her, leaned his left arm against the granite countertop, staring at one of the stove eyes.

"After Island M, I couldn't barely any trace of her, Fox. It was like she had completely vanished after that battle. I know Coulson has done his best to locate her. I even requested that Dr. Strange help me find her since he used his magic to find Spidey's teammates. But… even then, I'm not sure if that'll work. Often I worry that she might truly be dead."

Fox wasn't sure what to say to this. She knew, deep down, Phantom blamed himself for what happened to Selena. Nothing she could say or do will change that in him.

"Do you know how Maria is taking it?" She then curiously asked.

He sarcastically chuckled.

"I'd rather not find out. But, I promised her that I wouldn't stop until I find proof that she's still alive or… proof that I can put some closure on all of this."

He sighed, but continued.

"Maybe Reaper knows where she's gone, which is all the more reason to bring him down."

"What if he doesn't know?" She asked.

"Then, I'll keep looking." He coldly answered, looking back at her. "But, I'll do it on my own. I can't ask Specter Haven to do it for me or with me. It's something I **must** do on my own."

She stopped to stir the pot some more, still engaged in the conversation.

"You don't have to do it alone, Phantom. If you won't let Wolfe or Firewalker help, then at least let **me** go with you. We can find her **together**. With both our powers combined, I think we can do it."

He seemed to contemplate her words carefully.

"I… I can't ask that of you, Fox. This is a personal matter, nothing that pertains to Specter Haven." Phantom was stern in his response.

"So? That doesn't mean I can't help!"

Phantom seemed to stare at her with a more calculative gaze, trying to read her expressions and gestures.

"Why are you so willing to help me, Fox? Is this about… your vision?"

She dropped the spoon she was stirring with, accidentally into the pot. The question jolted her nerves, realizing that she didn't have a reason other than the way she felt about him. She quietly cursed to herself before grabbing a longer spoon to fish the spoon out of the pot, ignoring Phantom's question entirely.

He felt her heartrate increase, indicating her nervousness. He pondered why she was instantly nervous about the question. He knew that the vision that she had mentioned to him years ago related to something to where a future with them together was possible but… was that still the case after two years? Did she legitimately **feel** something for him?

"Well?" Phantom calmly asked.

She finally fished the spoon out, placing it aside to wash afterwards.

"W-well, we're **teammates** , **tonto**! I mean, after two years, I'd like to think I could be considered your **friend** , at least, right?" She nervously expressed.

"You **are** my friend, Fox."

Fox turned to face him. The bright white that his eyes turn shifted back to his normal brown eyes.

"I just **worry** about you sometimes, Phantom." She softly broke the brief silence.

"I don't want **anyone** to worry about me."

"Well, maybe that's your problem, **tonto**. You beat yourself up over things that you think are your fault but they're not. **Nobody** could've known that Reaper was going to take Selena. Please…"

She took a step closer to him.

"… **stop** blaming yourself. Stop letting these wounds fester. Let me **help** you find her."

He looked down to the floor beneath them, deep in thought about what she had said. Finally, he looked back up to her. Phantom wanted her help, that much was certain. But, he also knew that this was an issue that he wanted to handle by himself. He couldn't afford letting anyone get hurt over his personal issues.

"Listen, there's something I want to t-tell you." She continued. Her hands began to shake as her nerves began to overload.

"What?"

He noticed her hands as they shook.

"I have feel—"

"Mmmm mmmm MMMM! Is that **chili** I smell?!" A loud and growl-like shout was heard from the other side of the kitchen.

Phantom and Fox turned to see Wolfe at the entrance. His yellow eyes were wide open and his tongue was held out like a dog, literally watering over what he smelled. The phantom hunter rushed over to the stove and took a big whiff of the large silver pot.

"Hot damn! That **IS chili**! Foxy, darlin'! Did **you** make this!?"

"Yes, Wolfe, I wanted to try—"

Wolfe hugged her and picked her up off the ground.

"How did you know chili was my **favorite!?** Awwwoooooooo!"

He quickly put her down and ran over to the cabinets to get a bowl for himself. Firewalker and the rest of the students poked their heads in, getting ready for the dinner meal.

"Whoa, what's that cookin'!?" Firewalker whipped his nose in all directions. "Yo, is that **chili**?!"

"That's **chili**!" Wolfe happily stated.

"Holy shit, who made the **chili**!?"

"Foxy made the **chili!** " Wolfe cried in joy, holding up his bowl.

"Yooo, I didn't know you could make **chili** , Foxy!"

"Damn right she can make some **chili!** " Wolfe continued.

"Alright, you can chill now, dawg." Firewalker patted Wolfe on the shoulder as he walked in.

Phantom looked back at Fox, who looked back at him. He seemed to be waiting for her to finish what she was saying, but she knew that now wasn't the best time to confess it.

"We'll talk about it later." She assured him.

He simply nodded in response.

Firewalker and the students help set up the tables in the dining room that connected from the kitchen. It was a rather large room, walled by painted concrete and somewhat decorated with some of Fox's paintings. The mentors sat in their own table while the five others sat in their own table so that they could talk amongst themselves.

The chili turned out to be **delicious**. Wolfe scarfed down the entire bowl in mere minutes, getting up to serve himself more from the large pot. The others enjoyed it as well, boosting Fox's confidence in her cooking, especially since Wolfe was overjoyed to be eating it.

After the dinner, Phantom gathered everyone around so that he could address the latest developments from R.O.G.U.E. and what they would be doing in the coming days.

"…So, R.O.G.U.E. wishes us to be present at Alpha Base at our soonest convenience. This doesn't just ask for Fox, Firewalker, Wolfe, and me. This request is extended to the **entire** Specter Haven group. I'm not sure if your brothers and sisters that have long since joined R.O.G.U.E. will be with us there. But whatever the case may be, I have the upmost faith that whatever they ask us to do, we'll be able to deliver. Together." Phantom proudly stated to the others. Specifically, the students.

"Do we have **any** idea what's going on, Phantom-man? We goin' after the Reaper or what?" Firewalker inquired.

"With the **Manhattan Peace Talks** in less than a week away, I gather that they might want all their resources pooled together so that if any situation that might occur with S.H.I.E.L.D. happens, they'll be ready to fight back. Most of **The Avengers** are already with them."

"Whoa…" Geode quietly exclaimed. "We'll be fighting alongside the Avengers again?"

"Maybe. I'll have to get with Nick Fury to see what he'll bring to the table at the talks. Hopefully, we can end the S.H.I.E.L.D./R.O.G.U.E. divide and place our focused efforts on Reaper again. They refuse to address Asteroid M otherwise."

"Those spineless fools are too cowardly to put the fight up there." Wolfe muttered. "I think the talks are a trap, Phantom. I think Reaper will take his bite right at the moment we think we're the safest."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, Wolfe, I really do."

"So, when do we leave?" Fox asked.

"Tomorrow morning. We'll board one of their Quinjets and be on our way. If we're to stay there for several days, pack what clothes you need tonight and be ready to head out." Phantom ordered them.

With that, everyone was dismissed to begin packing for their trip to Alpha Base. The mentors geared up with their armored hooded suits and weapons. They knew that whatever R.O.G.U.E. was about to have them do, it was going to be a while before they returned to the Sanctuary. They had to be ready. They had to prepare for the fight.

* * *

 _Somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest…_

The sun graciously set over the hot and humid jungle. Monkeys and other animals returned to their habitats while the night creatures began to come out and roam the jungle floor. The music of the jungle night life chirped and screeched throughout the evening.

It all seemed calm and peaceful, with nothing out of the ordinary.

Until suddenly, a large portal-like vortex ripped open over a landing within the jungle. It tore through thin air, seeming to be energized by some sort of purple-colored electrical energy that was tearing through time and space.

From the vortex, two figures were violently thrown onto the muddy ground below them. The sounds of guttural and animalistic shouts were heard from beyond the vortex as it swiftly closed up behind them.

The figures, a young woman and young man, slowly got up from the ground. Both of them had fallen face-first onto the ground, so they had to brush themselves off as they stood up on their feet.

The young man had long raven black hair. He had a rough beard and mustache on his face with stubble lining up his jawline. His eyes were a bright shade of lavender and he wore a dark grey armored costume, his forearms and shins covered by blackish grey armor plating. His head was concealed by a deep cowl and he wore a cloak that covered over his shoulders.

The young woman next to him wore something similar, but the color scheme was different. It was black and white and she wore a white mask that covered her eyes and upper cheekbones, leaving her forehead, mouth, and chin exposed. She had long black hair and her eyes were light hazel.

"You okay, **Wren**?" The young woman asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"Yeah." He coughed. "I'm just glad we found a way out of that **God-awful** place!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" She began to look around the jungle. "Well, this **looks** like the right place. Are you sure we're back in the right universe?"

"Don't quote me for it, but I'm about **99%** sure we're in the right universe." Wren approached the trunk of one of the nearby trees and began to examine it.

"Well, it's better than nothing." She shrugged.

"Exactly." Wren looked back at her. "How are you feeling, **Selena**?"

"Like **shit**. It didn't help the fact I landed on my boobs, man!"

He nervously chuckled. " **All righty then**!"

"Come on, **Grey**. If this is the right dimension, then we've **got** to make contact with my father. It's the only way we can tell him the **truth**."

"We **could** try to use your powers to portal over to his location, **Phantasm**."

She shook her head.

"I don't trust my powers enough, Wren. Hell, we could end up in **another freaking** dimension if I do that!"

"True that. Alright, I guess it's on our feet then."

"Yup."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Sorry for the late update! This entire past week has been extremely busy for me getting ready to leave for this business trip. But, I **really** wanted to publish one last chapter for you guys before I was out of the office for an entire month! :( But, here it is! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter particularly, since it placed a lot more concentration on Specter Haven and what they're up to these days!

I'm really excited to get the rest of the story underway these next coming months! Please check-out the **Chapter Planning** section on my page if you haven't already to see what the future chapters are looking like! Of course, I'm open to suggestions from the community! I've already got a few recommendations from my good friend, **axel4ekruz**!

Unfortunately, I don't have any special shout-outs for new stories that I've come across! I apologize for this. I've just been too busy this week to do so! But, I'll read up on some more while I'm gone!

I'm aiming at publishing the next chapter between **Oct 10** and **Oct 20** at the latest. I'll update my page in-case this changes but I'll definitely keep you guys in the loop once I return. Wish me luck! :D I'm sorry that I've got to go but the story **will go on** , guys, I promise you! Until then, I hope you guys enjoy what I've got so far! Thanks!

 _ **As always, feedback is appreciated!**_

 _ **Stay tuned for The Eidolon, Mark II**_


	9. The Eidolon, Mark II

_**The Eidolon, Mark II**_

* * *

 _The next morning, on-board Alpha Base, R.O.G.U.E. headquarters…_

Peter woke up early the next day, showered, brushed his teeth, and suited up in his R.O.G.U.E. jumpsuit, rushing to attend breakfast at the mess hall platform where the other Avengers had gathered to eat as well, hoping that he'd be able to get some more time with the other superheroes and figure out what Fury had talked to them about the day before and what's to happen in the coming week with the peace talks coming up.

He entered into the stadium-large in-door mess hall, brightly illuminated from the massive ceiling lights. It had three levels that were filled tables where agents could sit at. At the lowest level, the serving line wrapped out in a circular fashion around the serving tables where the cooks had food readily available to serve the agents as they came up with their trays and utensils.

Once Peter was served a somewhat delectable tray containing a freshly cooked omelet, hashed potatoes, and two sausage links, he walked off the end of the serving line and searched around as to where he was going to eat at, trying hard to avoid sharp looks from other agents sitting around. He started to walk around, hoping to find the Avengers somewhere in the crowd.

Then suddenly, he began to hear a shout in the constant chatter-noise of the mess hall.

"Hey, Parker! Peter Parker! Over here!"

Peter looked up and saw Steve Rogers waving his hand from the second level of the mess-hall. Relieved, Peter shot him a smile and casually walked up one of the stairs to the second level. Steve nodded in greeting to him as he approached.

" **Captain** , good-morning! Sorry, I didn't see you back there."

"Don't worry, kid. I saw you behind me in line. I didn't want you to have to sit by yourself this morning." Rogers patted him on the back. "Come, we've got a seat for you at our table."

Steve led him to a long table where the **Avengers** were sitting at and there was **just enough** room for Peter to squeeze in. Peter instantly identified all of them by looking at them, having to remind himself that they weren't in their costumes and so would be harder to identify in a large crowd of agents wearing all different sorts of jumpsuits and clothing.

 **Stark** sat at one end of the table, scrolling through his smartphone and occasionally glaring at Bucky, who sat a few seats down. To his right, **Dr. Strange** sat, sipping a cup of what appeared to be coffee while reading what appeared to be a medicine journal of some sort. To Stark's left sat **Scott Lang** , who Peter identified as the **Ant-Man** , chatting nonchalantly to Stark while eating his food. Next to him sat **Natasha Romanoff** and **Clint Barton** , who chatted away amongst themselves.

To Dr. Strange's right sat **King T'Challa** , who seemed to be annoyed by something he was reading on his phone. To his right, **Bucky** sat, trying to calmly eat his breakfast while shooting glances at Stark every few minutes. Next to Bucky was **Sam Wilson** , who was talking with **Vision** , who sat across from him.

"Hey guys, hope you all don't mind **Peter Parker** sitting here with us this morning." Rogers casually interrupted.

They all stopped what they were doing and looked up. Peter nervously smiled.

"Good morning, again, **everyone**."

"Well, **of course** , he can sit with us." Sam happily agreed. "You can sit next to me, Peter."

"Thanks!"

Peter sat in the last empty chair in the row, to Steve's left, who sat at the opposite end of Stark.

" **Natasha**. **Clint**. You both remember Parker, right?" Sam asked the two secretive Avengers.

They both nodded.

" **Of course**." Natasha stolidly stated, glancing over at Peter. "How are you holding up, spider?"

"I'm doing as well as I can be. Thanks for asking."

Clint greeted Parker with a nod.

"Good to see you again, kid. Although, I wish it were under better circumstances." He impassively told him with a tone of bitterness in his voice.

"You're just mad that you got pulled out of retirement to get back into this mess." Sam teased him.

Clint sighed.

" **Yeah** , well. I guess the family movie nights with my wife and kids and the decent paying job was just **too** stable for my addiction to **suicidal missions** with you bunch." Clint responded, the sarcasm rampant in his voice.

"Hey. We're always in need of a good **bowman**." Rogers kindly added.

"Yeah?" Clint chuckled, taking up a cup of his coffee. "Well, so long as that asshole Sitwell's calling the shots for S.H.I.E.L.D., I'll be here trying to aim one right between his eyes."

"There will be plenty of time for that **later**." Dr. Strange sharply retorted.

Clint ignored the comment, murmuring something that sounded like, " **damn magicians**."

Peter continued eating, looking up to see **Scott Lang** beaming a friendly expression at him. At first, Peter was taken back, but realized that the two of them never actually formally met in person.

"I don't think we've met, Peter." Scott spoke up. "I'm **Scott Lang**. Or you might know as…"

"He's **Ant-Man** , kid." Sam interjected, prompting an upset expression from Scott.

"Oh, I knew it was you! I think your suit's amazing, dude!" Peter complimented him. "I did a little research on Hank Pym's technology and use of the **Pym Particles** that makes the suit work back in high school."

Lang grinned ear to ear and glanced over at Stark, who looked like Peter had just **offended** his entire life's work.

"Better than the Iron Man suit, then, Pete?" Scott curiously asked.

"Uhm. I'm not so sure. You're comparing two different kinds of suits here. I couldn't tell you."

Stark glanced over at Lang. This time, **he** was grinning. Scott nodded in defeat, comically frowning.

Peter noticed that Stark was a little more interactive today than he was yesterday after the screaming match with Rogers. He had made small talk with King T'Challa as well as Clint, who Peter knew sided with Steve in their internal conflict. He was going to ask if they were all right now, but he figured that he'd rather stay quiet than to upset the balance if there was still a problem.

Stark put his phone down and looked at Natasha.

"Have you heard **any** word on **Banner** or **Maximoff**?"

Nat hesitated for a moment before answering.

" **No**. Not yet, anyway. Before Clint and I got here, I contacted a few of my associates in China who I asked to keep a look out for **Banner**. But, they haven't seen him or a big green dude tearing through their streets. If I know him, and I know him pretty well, he's seeking refuge somewhere until he can safely contact us. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s been scouring the region for him too."

"So you assume that he is still alive?" T'Challa inquired.

"I do. Bruce Banner is **not** an easy person to kill, T'Challa."

"You're not joking." Stark agreed.

"And what about Wanda?" Vision asked with a grave tone in his voice.

Nat looked over at Vision, slightly frowning.

" **No**. I haven't heard anything about her either, Vision. I'm sorry. All the reports I was catching out of South America have been skewered ever since S.H.I.E.L.D started their mutant hunts there a few months back. I wish I had more for you."

Vision nodded, looking down at the table.

"I understand. Thank you."

Peter inquired as to what happened to both **The Hulk** and **Scarlet Witch** , Natasha catching him up to speed on the details and what was done about it. For a moment, Stark and Rogers were actively conversing as to what they could collectively do next to locate them. But it was quickly stamped out after there was nothing new to add to the subject.

"Where's **Thor** , then?" Peter looked around. "We could definitely use some help from an **Asgardian god** right about now, with Reaper and all."

"On that we can agree." Stark glanced over to Strange. "Well, Sorcerer Supreme? **You** were the last one to talk to him. Where's Thor?"

Strange rolled his eyes and closed his medicine journal.

"He's handling some matters up in **Asgard** for the time being and requested that none of us contact him. He said when the time was right, he'd be back."

"Talk about fighting with us when it's **convenient** for **him**." Clint spat out. "Jeez, why can't we **all** be **gods** , huh?"

"I'm sure the reason is too great for him to be here. He's a prince too, you know, Clint." Rogers rationalized. "He's got his own people to worry about as well."

"I guess."

They resumed finishing up their breakfast and started to leave as they were done, Nat and Clint breaking off to go review information logs in the Intelligence Section platform, King T'Challa and Sam leaving to go inspect their gear in the armory platform, and Vision headed off to go… do whatever Vision does in his spare time. Or at least, that's what Peter concluded.

After finishing up his omelet, Peter leaned a little closer to Rogers.

"Captain…"

"You can call me Steve, Pete."

"Sorry, Steve. So, I'm just curious. What **did** Fury talk to the Avengers about yesterday after we met back up? News on what he plans to do with you guys? With me?"

"A lot of it is still kind of secret, kid, even to us. You know how secretive **Fury** can be. But, what I **do** know is that he might want to utilize us to protect the people in the **very likely** event that S.H.I.E.L.D. and R.O.G.U.E. wage all-out war against each other."

"What? Really?!"

" **Keep it down** , kid." Steve lowered his voice. "We're not supposed to be talking about this out in the open."

"Sorry. But, what about **Asteroid M**?"

"That's where **Specter Haven** comes into play. Fury wants Phantom to weigh-in on his suggestions to go after the Reaper and whatever forces he has on that rock, as well as to testify on his behalf at the Manhattan Peace Talks here soon."

"Jeez. I just hope nobody gets hurt in all of this." Peter sighed, taking a sip of his orange juice.

"I hope so too, kid."

"I thought the peace talks were an opportunity for both sides to at least **try** and talk things out."

Rogers shook his head.

"It's a **political ploy**. The **United Nations** doesn't want us to go at each other's throats, so this is their way of having us try to talk things out but both Director Hill and Fury are convinced that this is a situation that can only be solved by **removing** Sitwell out of power. The rest of the organization will fall into place afterwards."

"Speak of the devil…" Rogers' gaze fixed itself across the room.

Peter looked over and saw the former director approach the table in the same Fury-esque manner that he's known to be like.

"Good morning, **Avengers** , **Parker**." Fury calmly greeted them, taking a seat directly across from Peter, on Steve's right.

Stark looked at Fury, then back at Bucky, and almost immediately stood up, coffee in hand, and walked away from the table.

"Stark's as troubled as Stark can be." Strange commented, shaking his head and resuming his journal read.

"He'll get over it." Fury simply stated, resuming his attention to Peter and Steve.

"Now, as you **both** know, Phantom and the rest of **Specter Haven** will arrive this afternoon to join up with us at last."

"We figured as much. Is it just **Phantom** , **Fox** , **Wolfe** , and **Firewalker**? Or is his entire little school coming as well?" Rogers inquired.

"His whole team, yes. The other mutates included. Hill wants them all here while we take the next steps towards taking down **Reaper** and **Asteroid M**."

"Has the asteroid done anything suspicious? Out of the ordinary?" Peter wondered aloud.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sister agency, S.W.O.R.D., sent out a few ships towards the asteroid not too long ago. Some of their men were killed trying to access the rock. So, it's apparent that the situation there is extremely grave. Hill and I have a few ideas of what we can do in the coming days. We've got a plan in place. Hopefully it'll work."

"What is it?"

"We'll talk about it behind closed doors, kid." Fury assured him. "For now, both of you finish up your meals. Once you're both done, go find Stark, and the three of you can come find me in the command platform with Hill while we wait for Specter Haven's arrival."

With that, Fury stood up and walked out of the mess-hall platform, several agents greeting the legendary former director on his way out.

"Sounds like he's up to no good again." Bucky darkly commented. "Whatever 'idea' they have in store, it's not going to work."

"I think he's well aware of that." Rogers pointed out. "But, with Fury, he'll at least **try**. After what he heard about that happened on **Island M** , I think he'll rather keep most of the agents here ready for war with **S.H.I.E.L.D.** than be sent off to a certain death with **Reaper**."

"You got that right." Peter agreed, finishing his food.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the late night hours in the outskirts of New York City…_

A tall figure walked around the sidewalk corner of a run-down part of town in the middle of the night, wearing a grey hoodie underneath a black leather jacket, dark blue jeans, and black boots on his feet. It was apparent that the figure did his best to look as **inconspicuous** as possible.

Suddenly, he saw two police cruisers parked on the curb of the street ahead with their red and blue lights turned on. Two officers were arresting what appeared to be an **inebriated** man, having taken him out of his red sedan. He was muttering all sorts of nonsense.

Instinctively, the figure hid behind the corner of the building next to him, inside an alleyway, pressing his back against the building while peeking over the corner to see if the officers had spotted him.

They didn't.

The figure took off his hood, revealing it to be **Logan** , still on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D. and the authorities in what was deemed one of the largest manhunts in the state of New York.

It was approaching midnight and Logan knew that he needed to rendezvous with his contact nearby. He had spent the last few nights evading S.H.I.E.L.D.'s detection after his escape from Xavier's Institute upstate. His lingering scent only aided dogs in searching him out even quicker, pinpointing his whereabouts near New York City.

He figured it was only a matter of time before he spotted Quinjets in the skies searching for him.

Taking a detour through the alleyway to get past the police, Logan found himself at the right address. It was the entrance to a cellar-style bar, its steps eroded and the black front door seemed to be locked tight with a slot for someone to look through.

Suddenly, thunder was heard overhead. Logan had avoided getting caught in the rain for a while now and he didn't plan on getting wet now with a storm on its way.

He proceeded towards the door and knocked hard on it, taking a look back behind him to see if anybody was nearby or if the police were cruising by.

Moments later, the slot opened up and two yellowish eyes peeked through.

"Password?" An elderly sounding and gruff voice spoke.

"Password? What do you mean **password**?" Logan crossed his arms.

"You can't enter without a password."

"Are you fuckin' **serious**? I'm here to meet up with someone! He knows I'm here!" Logan tried to emphasize his point while being as quietly as possible.

"Then he should've told you the password." The slot closed with that final statement.

Logan growled.

"I didn't come all this way for **this**!"

He extended the three claws between the knuckles of his right hand, forcing them through the black door.

"You **know who I am**! Let me in!"

"Alright, alright, just pull your claws back, now!" The elderly voice cried out.

"Holy hell, what's going on?!" A Cajun-thick accented voice was heard in the background.

Logan hesitated for a moment but finally retracted his claws. The door swiftly opened and a white-haired elderly man wearing black slacks, a white dress shirt, and a vest ushered Logan to come inside.

"Come on now, before someone spots you!"

The Wolverine entered into an old-fashioned style barroom with dimming lights overhead and a few booths where people could sit at. The bar itself was made of wood and magnificently carved with some sort of unique design. Several stools were posted at the bar.

The first thing he noticed was a black coated individual who was staring at him from the bar.

"Here let me take your jacket for you, Mr. Wolverine." The old man offered, forcibly so, as he practically ripped the leather jacket off and walked away towards a closet to hang it up.

The black coated individual approached Logan, using a silver walking stick with each step. Although, Logan **knew** that it was no mere walking stick and that it was extendable into a much more deadly weapon.

The man wore a type of headgear that covered most of his head except for his face, ears, and long-ish brown hair. The irises of his eyes were distinguishably red while where the white would be on the eye was disturbingly black in color.

He pulled out a playing card and grinned.

"Well, well, well, at long last, **The Wolverine** is in town." His voice being the one that was thickly Cajun Southern-accented from behind the door.

"You got my message, **Gambit**?"

"I sure did, brother." Gambit ushered Logan over to the bar. "But, **before** we get to business, we need two shots, to celebrate your safe arrival here."

"Is this really necessary?"

"Mr. Owens, two shots of your **finest** **bourbon** , please, sir." Gambit respectfully requested.

"On its way, **Mr. LeBeau**. I'll add it to your tab."

Logan took a moment to keep examining the barroom. Several black and white pictures of what appeared to be Mr. Owens when he was much younger was framed about, him shaking hands with what appeared to be **mutants**. Or at least a few that Logan could recognize.

"What is this place?" Logan curiously asked, watching Mr. Owens pull out a bottle of **Blanton's** and carefully pour it into two shot glasses.

"This place here is **The Cellar** , my friend. Mr. Owens here is a mutant-friendly bar-owner and has kept this establishment a haven for us freaks for **decades** now. We're safe here."

"I've never heard of it."

Mr. Owens made a quiet cackle.

" **Best kept secret** in the mutant-community." The old man murmured.

"The password is ' **unique** ', by the way." Gambit added. "That way, you don't have to try clawing your way in here the next time to prove who you are."

Logan glanced over to the door, the holes of his claws extremely apparent.

"I'll pay for it." Logan sternly offered to Mr. Owens.

" **No** , don't worry about it, Mr. Wolverine." Mr. Owens assured him, placing the two shot glasses filled with the dark amber spirit on the small rubber mat in front of the two mutants.

"My many thanks, Mr. Owens." Gambit picked up the one on the right while Logan picked up the one on the left.

"To your health, my friend." Gambit raised his glass up and quickly downed it.

Logan followed through, feeling the smooth rush of the drink, placing it down after he finished.

" **Now** , to business?"

"To business." Gambit nodded in agreement. "So, first, I'll ask this: how exactly does Professor Xavier plan on getting all of those mutants out of that school without S.H.I.E.L.D. finding out?"

"I've got a contact that's been in touch with **R.O.G.U.E.** "

"Ah, I **should've known** that they would be involved in breaking the X-Men out." Gambit made a small chuckle. "Even then, R.O.G.U.E. can only help out **so much**. Are you sure that they'd be willing to break your people out?"

"I damn well hope so. They're the only hope my friends and those kids at the school have." Logan firmly stated, briefly sighing at the end. "They're the only hope **Xavier** has."

"Hmm…" Gambit pondered for a moment.

"The old man's lost the will to fight, Gambit. Ever since Magneto was offed by the **Reaper** , Charles has been a recluse these past two years."

"Mm, I've heard. The death of Magneto truly shook the **entire** mutant community. Some of his own mutants fled straight to South America after the Reaper took over. They knew what was going on."

"No matter what, Xavier wants the X-Men to survive this mutant purging that's secretly been going on around the country."

"I'm sure of that." Gambit placed a hand on his chin. "Who's your contact?"

" **The Phantom**."

Gambit's eyes widened and his brows rose up.

" **Specter Haven**?"

Wolverine nodded.

"My, my, you certainly got yourself a special sort of friend." Gambit grinned. "All right, I'm sold. I'll get to talking to my contacts in the mutant underground right away. We'll set something up, a **break-out** , if need be."

"What's the catch?"

" **You** need to give me a guarantee that **R.O.G.U.E.** can provide a safe transport to a haven." Gambit quickly answered. "There is no use fighting S.H.I.E.L.D. and getting the X-Men and your students out of the school if we can't harbor them somewhere."

Logan thought out possible safe zones in the country that could help, but he knew nothing was guaranteed.

"Got any ideas of where?"

"My people tell me **R.O.G.U.E.'s** got some serious underwater city out in the middle of the Pacific. If I were you, I'd bargain to have them get sent out there, safest place I can imagine. If not, your best bet is **Brazil**. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have much influence there. Every mutant who's in the loop knows that Brazil is our Mexico right now, the land of the lawless, free from persecution."

"Got it. I'll have to find a way to reach out to the Phantom then. I was able to back at the school but not now."

Gambit patted him on the shoulder. "No worries, brother, I've back-channels you can access here. Who do you have back at the school to talk to?"

" **Beast** and **Xavier** , of course."

"Good, we'll need to keep them in the loop then." Gambit turned to Mr. Owens, who was cleaning their shot glasses.

"Mr. Owens, serve us up some of your cocktails, if you can, sir."

" **More** drinks, Gambit?" Wolverine questioned.

"We've got nothing else to do for the moment, Logan. Here, **drink up**!" Gambit happily stated, grinning from ear-to-ear.

* * *

 _Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, mid-day, close to Alpha Base, R.O.G.U.E.'s headquarters…_

Much earlier that morning, **R.O.G.U.E.** agents made contact with Specter Haven at **The** **Sanctuary** and loaded up a specialized stealth Quinjet with everybody and their gear, clothing, and any weapons that both **Wolfe** and **Fox** felt was necessary for whatever they were to embark upon. **Phantom** was the last one to leave the underground facility, erasing any data files and digital footprints that could lead S.H.I.E.L.D. to R.O.G.U.E.'s location in the Pacific Ocean.

Phantom, Fox, Wolfe, and Firewalker all took one last look at their Sanctuary one last time before finally getting on the Quinjet. They weren't sure if they were ever going to see it again.

Fox's vision into the future had become obscured by Reaper's residual dark energy that had spread over the globe from **Asteroid M's** presence. Thus, removing any sort of advantage they had by knowing elements of what was to come. So, their final goodbye was appropriate for everything that was going on.

The majority of the trip was smooth. The pilots did an excellent job of avoiding S.H.I.E.L.D. detection in the skies using the special stealth modifications that Phantom assumed Stark had recently installed into R.O.G.U.E.'s aircraft.

 **Maelstrom** , **Mercury** , **Flurry** , **Geode** , and **Aspect** had all, for the most part, slept through the trip. Towards the end they started to wake up, Geode listening to his music or Flurry reading a book that she brought along with her.

 **Wolfe** took up three entire seats to lay on his stomach to rest. His constant snoring woke Firewalker up at least a few times throughout the trip, causing the fiery mutate to throw something at Wolfe whenever he got too loud.

 **Firewalker** listened to his music throughout the trip, his hood over his head and his arms crossed. Since the Quinjet wasn't built for maximum comfort, the cabin got cold throughout the night, so Firewalker used his heating abilities to keep everyone warm while they slept.

 **Fox** sat next to Phantom, so she fell asleep and ended up resting her head against Phantom's shoulder, which he didn't mind. She had spent the initial hours of the trip meditating but eventually succumbed to slumber.

 **Phantom** , being physically unable to actually sleep, entered his dream-scape for the majority of the night. He conversed with past memories of Taskmaster and Magneto to see if there was some clue he was missing about Reaper.

Although his memories could only tell him information he **already** knew, he made the attempt to piece those bits of information into anything that could help him figure out Reaper's capabilities on **Asteroid M**. Nothing new was learned, as expected.

Firewalker, having woken up, unzipped his backpack and took out a rather large thermos that looked like it was frozen to the core.

Phantom watched as he did so.

He then used his heating ability to melt the ice off and heat up the thermos to a reasonable temperature. Once it was good, Firewalker opened it and poured out hot coffee into small plastic cups that he had also brought.

"You want a cup, Phantom-man?"

Phantom shook his head.

"No thanks, I don't drink coffee."

"Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot. You only drink **tea**."

Phantom merely nodded, trying his best not to disturb Fox on his shoulder. Firewalker looked at her, then at him, then back at her.

"She looks **comfortable**." Firewalker quietly pointed out.

"I don't see how."

Firewalker took sip of his coffee. "Well, maybe it's the **man** she's resting on. Maybe she's comforted by that."

Phantom glanced over to her, her eyes still shut tight, then back at him.

"What are you talking about?"

Firewalker shrugged. "I'm just saying you two make a cute couple, just like that."

"Your jokes **aren't** very funny, Firewalker. You, well as Wolfe, both know that-…"

"Yeah, yeah, you're both ' **teammates** ', and romance between you two would ruin that. I know." Firewalker made a small chuckle. "Well, how do you **really** feel about her, though?"

"Well, she's an excellent teammate, a great friend, a strong teacher, a-…"

"I'm not talking about her like that, Phantom, homie, you **know** what I'm talking about." Firewalker pressed on, sipping his drink.

Phantom looked around the cabin. Most of the younger specters were either sleeping or listening to music. Flurry had fallen asleep again reading her book. He then looked at Fox and at Wolfe, who were both sound asleep.

"I don't think it's a good time to be talking about this, Firewalker."

"It's a simple question. I don't see the harm in it." Firewalker grinned, pressing on. "I mean, you can just say that you **don't** have feelings about her. That would settle that discussion quick."

He looked at Fox one more time.

Firewalker was onto him, knowing full well that Phantom harbored a strong emotional connection to Fox. But, as he thought about before, there wasn't any room for love in his heart anymore, so he left it be.

"Whatever feelings I **might** have… I fully **doubt** she feels the same."

"What do you mean?"

Phantom slowly started to get irritated at this point.

"You're awfully **interested** about this, aren't you, Firewalker?" He sharply inquired. "Why is that?"

Firewalker seemed initially confused.

"No, Phantom-man, I just wanted to…"

" **Oh** … I see. You're **interested** in her."

"Whaaat? Is that a serious question?!" Firewalker tried to deflect it. "Phantom, no, man, you've got it all wrong!-…"

Phantom slowly shook his head.

"If you're worried about any **competition** from me, you need not worry. I highly doubt she'd want a scarred up, monster of a man like me. Just, **please** , I ask you to not to let this sort of thing get in the way of our mission. And… don't you **dare** hurt her."

"Phantom, **calm** **down** , bro! It's not even like that!"

They were both starting to get loud, to the point the students were starting to wake up.

Suddenly, the pilot talked over the radio.

"E.T.A. **10 minutes** , everyone! Get your gear ready, weather's pretty stormy right now, so it's going to be a sharp landing into **Alpha Base**!"

The loud voice over the radio woke **everyone** up.

Wolfe howled aggressively out of his sleep, clawing the seat frantically as he tried to figure out where he was. Fox had woken up in time to calm him down.

But, by then, Firewalker couldn't continue his conversation with Phantom without the two of them hearing.

"Jeez, **Wolfe** , you've really got to control the way you wake up in these sorts of situations. Good thing you didn't have your **rifle** handy." Fox warned him after she used an ability that she used to calm herself for meditation.

"Yeah, yeah, I've just got to jog my ol' **noggin** , that's all, Foxy. Thanks." Wolfe massaged his head.

"Don't mention it." She smiled, looking back at Phantom and Firewalker, who seemed to have been locked in an intense staring competition.

"Is everything okay?" She looked at Phantom, then at Firewalker.

" **Perfectly fine**." Phantom firmly stated, sounding somewhat angry.

She looked down at his arm rest. Phantom's right fist was tightly clenched and the electricity surrounding his right bracer was violently charging up.

"Phantom-man… Just, just calm down. Let me explain."

"Explain what?" Fox worriedly inquired.

Firewalker looked at her, then back at Phantom. "I…"

Fox returned her gaze to Phantom. She could sense the immense amount of anger in him. She didn't know what sparked it, but she didn't want to see him that way any longer.

She placed her hand on his clenched fist, looking over at Firewalker and facially gesturing him to walk away. He happily did so, several seats away from Phantom.

"What's wrong, **tonto**?"

"Nothing, Fox."

"All right. I'm not going to budge if you're not going to tell me. But, whatever that was about, you've got to **calm down**. Please."

Slowly but surely, Phantom began to feel his anger pass away. He took a deep breath, then another, and one last one. Finally, he felt better.

"There." She smiled. "All better?"

Phantom glanced at her and sat forward in his seat, covering his face and taking another breath.

"Yeah, I've… I've just got to go to the lavatory."

With that, Phantom excused himself from the cabin and into the rear of the jet, where there was a small door that he squeezed through to get to the jet's lavatory.

Firewalker quickly explained to her what happened and that Phantom had freaked out when he assumed that Firewalker was interested in her.

"Firewalker, did you not **tell** him that you weren't?!" She worriedly asked.

"The man was ready to **slay** my ass on the spot, **churn** my poor lil' body into tiny little meat pieces and skewer me kabob-style, **woman**! There's not a lot of things I'm afraid of, but **Phantom** is one of them! He wouldn't let me speak, damn it!"

She covered her face with her hands.

"Oh no, oh no, then he's under the assumption that **you and I** have a thing going on, then!?"

" **Shiiiit** , I wouldn't let my **kids** date you knowing now that you've got **Mr. Jealousy** practically on a kill-switchover there. That man got pissed off **real** quick!"

"Damn it, Firewalker, you were supposed to help me here!"

"I did my best! Not my fault!"

"Okay. Not to worry, I'll just **talk** to him afterwards, hopefully he'll talk about what happened and maybe that'll spark a conversation or…something!" She hoped for the best.

"Yeah, I guess! Good thing you used your calming powers to calm that guy. He would've lit me on the spot, easy!" He sighed with relief.

"Firewalker…" She stated.

"Huh?"

"I didn't use my powers to calm him. He… naturally calmed down on his own."

"Oh." He was dumbfounded. "Well, shit."

"What?"

"I guess you found your answer. Phantom must **really** care about you if you're able to calm him down like that."

Then, the Quinjet began to rapidly descend. The younger specters pressed their faces against the windows to see the giant cylindrical hangar opening pop up from the ocean, allowing sufficient room for the jet to land in. As they descended, the hangar retracted itself, closing as it returned into the ocean.

The door to the lavatory opened and Phantom walked out, placing his mask down below his neck. He must have taken it off while he was in there.

"We're here, Phantom, sir." The pilot informed him from the cockpit. " **Director Hill** and **Nick Fury** are on their way to come meet you."

"I appreciate it, captain, and thank you."

"Let's get to eating, I'm **starving**." Wolfe grumbled as he stood up and stretched.

"Is that all you think about, food!?" Firewalker questioned. "You literally eat like a savage dude and don't gain an ounce, how!?"

Wolfe loudly burped in response.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, an hour past midnight in the streets of Washington D.C…_

Driving down the back roads of southeast D.C. was a dangerous act alone, more so during the late nights where all sorts of gang members, drug dealers, and robbers run rampant. Lucas cruised down Washington Highlands in his Pontiac GTO, keeping weary of the individuals who were keeping a close eye out on the car as it drove by.

The area reminded him of the grittier parts of Harlem, where he grew up for most of his youth. He saw a lot of street crime back then. It was just a different flavor of it now here, hundreds of miles away from New York City.

He glanced over to Jessica, who was sitting in the passenger seat, reviewing the case they were taking the lead up on. She didn't seem aware of the dangerous neighborhood they were driving through.

As he pulled up on a stop light, an old-looking gray sedan pulled up next to him, with the passenger side window lowered, blaring loud and obscene rap music.

Lucas looked over and saw two hooded African-American males staring at him. The passenger side man motioned for Lucas to lower his window. Normally, he wouldn't oblige, but he did so anyway.

"Yo, what you think you doin', cuz?" The man asked.

"I'm **working**." He answered, glancing over at the traffic light.

"You best be careful, cuz. I'd turn around if I was you. This place ain't for the likes of you."

"Thanks for the warning. I think we'll be fine."

With that, the light turned green and Lucas proceeded down the street, rolling his window back up.

"Why'd you lower the window?" Jessica curiously asked, her eyes still glued to her tablet device.

"Just wanted to see what they would say. I'm **bulletproof** , Jessica. Anything they do is the **least** of my worries."

"I wasn't saying that they were going to **shoot** us. I just didn't think you were going to waste your time."

He shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to see what people think from time to time, you know?"

"I guess." She scoffed.

Finally, they pulled up on an old abandoned theatre on one of the empty backstreets. It was decrypted and seemed to not have been occupied in decades. Chains locked the front door and there were strips of rustic barbed wire lining the steps up to the front.

"You sure this is the right address?" He inquired, unsure of it.

"Yep." She put down her tablet to look at it.

"The old lady that lives a couple blocks down walked through here about a few days ago and reported screams being heard inside. Must be **haunted** , right? **Nope**. A couple of junkies uploaded pictures of a masked man dragging our Italian-guy into this theatre onto the internet about the same time of the report. Luckily, I was able to find the pics before DCPD did. The wife of this guy **did** request we use discretion on this case."

"Well, we're not going to get any farther on the case by sitting in here."

Lucas pulled the car around to an empty lot where he felt safer leaving the car instead of out in the road for someone to possibly steal. He looked around the nearby area as they got out of the car and locked it.

At the front, he silently tore open the chains that held the door together and opened them, revealing a pitch-black entrance with nothing to be seen beyond the door. Jessica turned on the flashlight that she had on her hip and took the lead inside, Lucas following behind her.

The place was definitely **creepy**. There were cobwebs caked on the ceiling and on the Roman-style columns that gave the lobby-area a theme. Wooden chairs were broken and strewn about and the paint on the walls was chipped all to hell. On top of that, there was a **moldy** scent that lingered throughout.

"I'm half-expecting to run into some kind of ghost or something." Jessica quietly joked.

"Keep saying that, a cat like the **Phantom** will show up."

"Oh, don't even joke about that, Lucas."

They walked past the lobby and tried to get into the main theatre. But, they found that it was chained up and barricaded past all reason to be stealthy.

"Damn it." Jessica sighed.

"Well, I still **could** break through. We'd get into the theatre a lot quicker." Lucas suggested.

"No. I don't want this Italian-guy to know we're on his trail if he's here."

"There **should** be another way around. Some sort of backstage entrance, I believe?"

Jessica nodded in agreement, she pointed her flashlight into the hallway that ran parallel to the theatre and took lead again walking through there.

Lucas couldn't help but to glance at Jessica's rear as she walked through. She was wearing tight black skinny jeans that were very tight on the lower half of her body.

She stopped for a moment and glanced back as though she had heard something. She caught him staring at her behind in the process.

"Did you hear that?"

Lucas shook his head. She rolled her eyes in response.

"When you're done **undressing** me with your mind, we can get back to work."

Lucas smiled.

Although they weren't exactly a **couple** , they both knew that they acted like one. After Selena, Jessica had been the only chick he'd come across that treated him with respect despite her rough-edged character. They'd flirted on thousands of occasions. Even a few drinks on a special occasion almost drove them to screwing each other. Luckily, he was still sober enough to keep her off of him.

In truth, Lucas cared a lot for Jessica. He was smart enough to **know** that she felt the same. Was she girlfriend material? Maybe. Was she wife material? Probably not for a while. But, one thing he **did** know was that she was his partner and they were going to fight whatever came their way no matter what for the time being.

Their steps began to creak heavily as they entered what appeared to be the dressing room, which served for an even eerier place to walk through. There were shattered mirrors, smashed tables, and discarded costumes strewn across the floor.

"Oh look, graffiti on the walls." Jessica pointed out. "I knew we were going to run into that eventually."

"Typical."

"Yep. So, you think we'll find our Italian-guy in here or what?"

"Long shot, but if your research says he was here, we might **at least** find some sort of clue of what happened here." Lucas answered.

"You think the mob took him here?"

"It could've been. But, I don't see why they would drag him here to do whatever they wanted to do with him. Mobsters are usually a little more… discrete. Not saying that this isn't. But, this is the sort of place scarier people than the mob go to in order to do their dirty work."

"Hell of a guess there, Carl." She sarcastically pointed out.

"You asked. Who knows? **Frank Castle** might be hiding up in here."

"Oh, for the **last time** , Frank Castle was **killed** in prison, Lucas. He's not this big bad **boogeyman** the media makes him out to be. That stupid skull symbol is painted on every low-budget military shirt around the country."

He shrugged. "You **never** know. All I'm saying is that we shouldn't write off Frank Castle in **any** aspect. Men as dangerous as him don't just **go away**."

"You're delusional."

They finally reached what appeared to be the backstage, everything still pitch black. From what Jessica could see, the long, moth-eaten curtains had been torn down, some ripped.

"I can't see **shit**." Jessica cursed, seeing that her flashlight was getting dimmer.

"I'll go see if I can find a switch or something." Lucas turned on his phone's light.

"Good luck. If there's still electricity being fed to this building, I'll be surprised."

He walked towards the side of the stage and followed the cable line on the wall towards a very old fuse-box. Inside, he was able to find a small lever. Once he flipped it, the theatre lights turned on brightly and almost blinded Jessica.

" **Jesus Christ**!" She yelled out loud. "I didn't think that would work!"

Lucas returned to her and froze stiff as he saw something dangling from the theatre's ceiling. Once Jessica straightened herself out, she immediately saw what Lucas had seen.

They found their Italian-guy all right.

He was hanging, by his neck, with a rope from the ceiling. He was wearing nothing but dirty white underwear and looked like he was severely beaten before meeting his end in that manner.

"Dear God… what the hell?" Lucas expressed, not believing what he was seeing.

"Damn it." Jessica cursed. "I was hoping this fucker would still be **alive**."

"What in the world happened to him?"

"It looks like it was the mob. Well, that does it, I'm calling DCPD so they can come here and cut down his carcass and stamp him at the morgue. Sorry for his wife but she better **at least** pay us for finding him **alive**." Jessica pulled her phone out and attempted to call out.

Lucas studied the middle-aged man's body a little more in-depth. It didn't look like the mob's work. It wasn't something they classically did, or so, what he's read up on anyway.

"Damn it." She cursed, looking at her phone. "There's no reception in here. I'll have to go outside to make the call."

Just as she was about to turn to walk through the backstage, Lucas told her to stop. He noticed a bright red dot directly on her forehead. It looked like it was coming from a rifle aimed down at her.

"Stay perfectly **still** , all right?" He told her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just, **don't move** , all right?!" He repeated himself.

He looked over to where the red dot optical beam was originating from and could make out the long barrel of a black rifle up on the second-level of the theatre seating area. The rifle was mounted on a tri-pod.

Next to it stood a tall figure, crossing his arms. He was Caucasian, with short black hair with somewhat of a military cut to it. The most distinguishable part was what he wore on his chest: a black bulletproof vest with a **white skull** symbol spray painted on.

" **Fuck**." Jessica raised her hands up in the air when she realized what was going on, seeing the man standing.

"Somehow I **knew** we'd run into the **Punisher** sooner than later." Lucas loudly spoke out to him, hoping to gain his attention.

He had to be weary of his moves in order not to cause the Punisher to shoot Jessica in the forehead with his unmanned rifle that was automatically aimed at her.

"Yeah, you two have been sniffing my trail for days on this **piece-of-shit** hanging." Punisher spoke loudly, his voice somewhat deep and lightly raspy.

"Do you mind if I ask why the **fuck** do you have that thing pointed at **me**?!" Jessica angrily questioned with her hands still up in the air.

Punisher jumped over the second level railing and landed firmly onto the first level walk way between aisles. Once he stood up, he began to slowly approach the stage, pulling out a tactical shotgun from his coat.

As he got close, Lucas and Jessica immediately identified him as **Frank Castle** , the real Punisher. Jessica's heart dropped like a rock.

"You aren't in **any** position to be asking questions around here. I am." Castle threateningly stated, jumping up onto the stage, shotgun still in hand.

"Well, let me ask, then." Lucas stepped up, unfearful for his own life but for Jessica's. "Why exactly did you off our Italian-guy?"

Castle stared at him with a cold stare for about a few seconds after he asked the two questions, as though to register and process what the question really was.

" **Vincenzo Valtteri** here worked as a sleazy gun-man for one of the larger Italian families in New York City a decade back. One day, one of the bosses orders for a theatre to get shot up. Apparently, some of the rival family's capos were going to be at this play. What they didn't count on was there to be about fifty or so kids from the children's hospital coming to see this **children's play**. They were allowed front row seats.

"Valtteri, instead of being smart and targeting the capos directly, took to the stage and sprayed his machine gun into the crowds. By the time he was done, forty-two of those kids had holes right through their heads. Bastard got away with it too, the family pinned it on some other rat they were trying to get rid of.

"The stupid part? The capos weren't even killed off in the attack. They ran off right as this prick started shooting into the crowd." Castle finished explaining the story. "The piece of shit didn't deserve to live."

"Jesus Christ." Lucas understood now why the Italian was hanging. "But, **how** did you end up going after him?"

"That's my business to know. Not yours."

"That's re-assuring." Jessica sarcastically murmured.

"That bastard's hanging now. It was the least of what I should've done to him. But, he got the shit beaten out of him. You bet your ass that he passed out from that before he even hung, that's for sure."

"So, what now?" Jessica asked.

"Now, you answer **my question**." Castle put away his shotgun. "Why have you two been following my case for the past few days, hmm?"

Jessica and Luke exchanged looks.

"I've got all night." Castle assured them.

* * *

 _Early morning hours in the streets of Rio de Janerio, Brazil…_

Lightning flashed across the darkened skies over **Rio** , briefly illuminating the city in a magnificent display of awe. Thunder followed shortly afterwards, shaking the ambience as a heavy downpour of rain showered over the city. The busy nightlife began to die down and the people began to return to their homes.

However, this didn't stop the likes of the **Kraven the Hunter** and his new affiliation with **S.H.I.E.L.D.** Mutants who had found haven in Rio quickly found out about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s undercover presence within the city, operating with the cartels that control the city's drug trade. In exchange for S.H.I.E.L.D. support in transporting their goods, the cartels would direct the gangs under their charge to search out the mutants and kill them.

The string of killings didn't take too long to start. With the city police on the cartels' payroll, Rio started to become an unsafe place at night for mutants, which is usually when the murders occurred. With the crimes going largely ignored, mutants began to fight back in whatever capacity they could.

Ava glanced over at the window of her small second-floor house in the Santa Teresa neighborhood of Rio, watching the glass be stained with the constant flow of rainwater.

She looked back down, ensuring she was threading the needle carefully as she stitched her **White Tiger** costume back together after tearing it off the other night when she lost control of the **Jade Tiger Amulet**. She shook her head to try and forget it.

Finally, she finished stitching it back in one piece. It didn't look as good as it did before but she made do with it.

Sirens could be heard outside in the distance, signaling more crime going on than Ava would like to hear. With the mutant murders going on, she knew she had to do something. She had to **hunt down Kraven** before he had the chance to hunt **her** down first.

She took off her jean-shorts and green blouse and carefully slid the costume back on, adjusting the mask to carefully pull her hair through the back.

Once she was ready to go, she was off. She quietly exited the outside door so that she didn't wake up her landlady, Senhora Larissa, jumping off the ledge of the staircase railing and onto the tin roof that was across the small alleyway between the buildings.

Silent as a cat, she sprinted across, jumping across from rooftop to rooftop, getting higher in elevation as she used her powers to figure out where Kraven was in the city. She did her best to watch her steps and land as carefully as she could to avoid sliding off from all the wet surfaces from the rain.

She found a safe stopping point and perched herself up on the bell-tower of the local neighborhood church and stared down the hill of the favela, filled with thousands of poorly-made homes, dim lights illuminating the streets that crisscrossed through the neighborhoods.

Lightning flashed across the sky and Ava was able to catch a glimpse of the **Christ the Redeemer** statue on the mountain top fully illuminated before it was enveloped by the darkness of the night again.

Thunder followed soon after.

"Where are you Kraven? Where are you hiding?"

She closed her eyes and allowed the powers of the amulet to briefly take over, amplifying her senses.

The sirens of police cars and sounds of television sets and people talking rang through her head as she tried to pinpoint someone saying Kraven's specific name or some other clue that could lead her to him.

Minutes passed with nothing.

"Come on, there **has** to be something!"

There was nothing more for a few more minutes.

Then suddenly, she heard his name drop in conversation.

The voices of two men could be heard, both speaking in Portuguese. As Ava tuned in, it sounded like they worked for the gangs and were a few streets nearby.

"… _ **So the boss skipped town or what?"**_

" _ **I don't know. I think he went to go talk to that Kraven guy. That or worse."**_

" _ **Oh, the Russian? "**_

" _ **Yeah. He's holed up in that industrial zone on the outskirts of downtown. That's where he's got his stuff going on at now. He moved up from the warehouse at the port."**_

Ava opened her eyes, finally getting the information she wanted to know.

She carefully jumped off the bell-tower and began to jump down the rooftops, down the favela, and closer to downtown, which was still a good ways away, even **if** she was moving faster than an average human.

Once she reached downtown thirty minutes later, she had to begin scaling the tall skyscraper buildings in order to maneuver through the city. She slipped a few times but was quick enough to catch a ledge. She tried not to look down at the cars driving by below through the city streets in order to avoid detection.

The closer she got, the stronger a familiar voice began to pick up through her head. She knew that it could only be **Kraven's** and was able to find the industrial zone that the two men were talking about.

The industrial zone was a small section of the city, making up a district of refineries, factories, and other manufacturing for the exports that's shipped out of Brazil. The voice grew stronger as she carefully threaded on the building tops of the factories.

Finally, she heard his voice out in the open, nearby.

She silently sprinted and leaped across buildings until she reached an empty lot behind a cannery. Peering over the ledge, she could see **Kraven the Hunter** , in the same outfit she spotted him in days earlier, with his arms crossed, staring at an individual that was on his knees and his hands behind his back in front of him.

The floodlights from the cannery building brightly illuminated the entire scene, allowing Ava the opportunity to spot several armed men around the area, presumably there as the cartels' provided security for Kraven.

The individual Kraven was looking at had a black sack over his head. His clothes were raggedy and bloodstained. And it appeared that he was bruised up by the look of the darkened marks on his forearms.

"I'm not going to ask again, **mutant**." Kraven threatened. "Where are the rest of your friends **hiding at**? Hmm?"

"I-I don't know, sir! Please… just please. Let me go! I promise I won't tell anyone about you!" The mutant cried with his somewhat high-pitched and hoarse voice.

Kraven chuckled, beginning to pace around his prisoner.

"I **know** you know, mutant. I was **stalking** you for hours with your group of friends. You all **spoke** about a secret hideout for mutants."

"No, no we didn't! We must've been drinking! We didn't know **what** we were talking about!"

"Liar."

"No, please! I'm not trying to lie to you, sir! I…I…"

Ava couldn't believe what she was seeing. She knew she had to interfere to stop Kraven from killing this innocent soul, but she knew she couldn't take him down directly. She had to wait for him to be alone, away from his men. Despite being very strong, he's watched her fight before and can predict almost her every move. She would have to wait for an opportunity to present itself.

Kraven pulled out the large, sharp hunting knife from its sheath on his hip.

"You mutants surprise me with every turn, you know? You **act** like humans, you **lie** like humans, and you **fear** like humans. I guess we're not so different after all."

"So… does that mean you'll let me go?" There was hope in the man's voice.

"Perhaps. What's your power, mutant?"

"I… I can breathe underwater and swim as fast as fish!" The prisoner exclaimed. "Please. I've done **nothing** wrong!"

"Can you… say… **regenerate**?" Kraven curiously asked, walking directly behind the prisoner and stopping.

"N-no. I heal like any human can."

"Ah, well… that's good." Kraven lowered his head close to the prisoner's shoulder.

In a split second, Kraven pierced his knife right through the prisoner's back, the blade tearing through the chest. The prisoner cried out in pain as he did so. He then swiftly pulled it back as blood splattered about, kicking the prisoner's body forward face-first onto the concrete as a pool of blood formed up beneath him.

" **No!** " Ava cried out in shock, instantly covering her mouth as soon as she said it.

Kraven's eyes widened in surprise and quickly attempted to pinpoint where he had heard the voice. He looked up at the rooftop of the cannery and squinted to narrow his vision.

Ava pulled away from the ledge and tried to silently crawl away.

"I know that voice." Kraven grunted, sniffing the air, devilishly grinning. "I know that **smell**."

Ava got on her feet and started to silently run away.

"Men! Keep an eye on the rooftops! The **White Tiger** has come to **me**!" Kraven ordered, chuckling.

The armored men that accompanied him began to disperse between the alleyways of the industrial buildings, keeping an eye up towards the rooftops to see if the White Tiger was jumping between them.

The rain was beginning to calm down, slowing down to nothing. This wasn't good for Tiger. Now that the constant sound of rainfall was silent, her steps were easily heard now.

She stopped at a ledge, having heard some of Kraven's men sweep through the alleyway below. Carefully, she peered over the ledge to watch them quickly patrol by.

Suddenly, she heard a loud **thud** behind her.

"Shit." She silently cursed to herself.

Slowly, she turned around to realize her fear. **Kraven** stood right behind her, grinning ear to ear, with his bloodied knife in hand.

"Well, well, well, looks like I finally found my **White Tiger**."

"Back off, Kraven! I know why you're here in Rio!" She got in a defensive stance.

"The whole **city** should know by now **why** I'm here." He chuckled. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is paying **a lot** of money to make sure these mutants are taken care of. I wonder how much they would pay to have their precious tiger back in their grasp."

"I'm not going back to them!" She argued. "I'd rather **die** than to work for them ever again!"

"Ah, a **wise decision** , my dear." He brandished his knife. "Then you'll look good with your **head** on my **mantle**!"

In that moment, Kraven swiftly rushed towards Ava, swinging his knife hard in the process. But, she quickly dodged his rush by jumping forward and off of him to avoid getting hit. Effectively, Kraven almost fell off the ledge.

He quickly turned around and was met by a sharp kick by Tiger, knocking his knife out of his hands. She doubled back by starting to rapidly claw him in the chest and in the face, but Kraven did a good job of blocking most of them with his forearms, catching her off-guard at a split second and punching her square in the gut, sending her flying backwards onto the corner of the rooftop.

She crouched down in pain in an attempt to catch her breath. Something warm crept up on her stomach and so she looked down and saw four little punctures on her stomach. Blood had begun to rapidly seep out.

"You're not as fast as I remember." Kraven taunted her, gripping his fist to reveal four little spiked tips on the knuckles of his gloves.

"You've gotten a lot **slower**." He continued.

He chuckled.

" **Good**. This will make killing you that much **easier**!"

Kraven rushed to grab his knife on the other side of the rooftop and turned around to find that she had disappeared. He hesitated for a second, looking around and scanning the other rooftops before rushing to the corner where she crouched at.

He looked down below but saw nothing but his men still patrolling the industrial zone's streets.

Quietly, he growled before loudly shouting into the sky.

"You haven't escaped me yet, **White Tiger**!"

Ava managed to escape the industrial zone before Kraven locked it down with more of his men from the cartels. She ripped off a piece of her costume from her forearm and pressed it against the punctures to avoid leaving a trail of blood for Kraven to follow.

She was getting exhausted the faster she went as she sprinted from the rooftops back towards her house in Santa Teresa. By the time she was back on her street, nearly forty-five minutes later, she had to rip off more strips of her costume because the blood had sept right through the other strips and had practically stained the entire lower half of the costume blood red.

Her hands trembled grabbing the railing up the side stairs to her home. She couldn't grip it. She was losing consciousness and collapsed down onto the stairs.

The strips slid off her stomach and she pressed her hand against it to try and stop the bleeding but she could still feel it seeping through.

The last glimpse she saw was that of Senhora Larissa, opening her door before she blacked out into nothing.

* * *

 _On-board Alpha Base, R.O.G.U.E.'s headquarters…_

The Quinjet safely landed into the empty hangar within Alpha Base. Director Hill, Coulson, Fury, Parker, Stark, and Rogers had come to greet Specter Haven on their arrival. Although operations around the global were increasing by the hour due to a greater S.H.I.E.L.D. presence, Hill wanted to make sure Specter Haven felt officially part of the R.O.G.U.E. effort now.

As they waited for the pilots to finish post-flight checks and allowing the team to exit the Quinjet, Peter thought about what Fury had talked about after breakfast, when he met back up with Stark and Rogers in the main command platform.

Fury had told them that Hill had secretly gathered a small ten-man team to launch a stealth mission to infiltrate **Asteroid M** in the coming week, close to the time when the Manhattan Peace Talks are to occur. In pre-emptive effort to gather the technical layout and capabilities of the rock, the team will steal the data and return to R.O.G.U.E. with it.

Based on leaked reports from S.W.O.R.D., who have an entire armada of interstellar space-carriers surrounding Asteroid M, there was a central location within the rock that could be accessed and where they figured a main storage of information could be located.

Peter thought it was risky. If they were discovered, there was no telling how **Reaper** would react to it. He had learned that S.W.O.R.D had attempted getting into the asteroid earlier which resulted in their men getting killed. Something like this would definitely incite a harsher reaction.

But, he shook it off his mind for the time being.

Now, he felt anxious to see his old friend again. Peter remembered first encountering **Phantom** like it was yesterday, when it had been almost three years since then. He never would have thought that this strange mutate would end up saving his life on multiple occasions and serving as somewhat of a mentor to him, besides Nick.

He hadn't seen the specter in two years since Sitwell took Ava, Luke, Danny, and Sam away. He wondered if Phantom remembered him at all.

The side ramp finally lowered, and **Wolfe** and **Firewalker** were the first ones to get out.

Wolfe took a deep sniff of the air.

"Man, oh man. I smell some serious **cooking** at the mess-hall!" Wolfe began to drool.

"Jesus **Christ** , Wolfe! You need to stop thinking about **food** , big man!" Firewalker jokingly scolded him.

Peter couldn't help but grin while Hill and Fury exchanged unsure expressions about those two. Then, the **Les Echets** mutates walked out. Peter recognized them, **Maelstrom** , **Geode** , **Miss Mercury** , **Aspect** , and **Flurry**. He remembered when they fought alongside him and Phantom in the fight against Magneto on **Island M**.

Then, **Phantom** and **White Fox** emerged. She lead ahead while Phantom followed behind, being the last one to exit the Quinjet.

"Phantom, can we talk about this **later** , then?" Fox worriedly asked in a low tone.

Phantom merely nodded her away while returning his attention to the welcoming crowd that had gathered up.

"Well, well, well, you lookin' good, **Nick Furay**!" Firewalker graciously greeted him. "Looks like bad treatment from S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't set you **toooo** far back now did it?!"

Fury smiled in amusement.

"Yeah, I guess not, huh?"

" **Specter Haven** , thank you for coming to Alpha Base on such short notice." Hill stepped forward to greet them.

"Yeah, yeah, not like we had much choice." Wolfe murmured.

Hill ignored the comment.

"We can't thank you all **enough** of all the good work you've done for us so far. With the Manhattan Peace Talks ahead, we've got a lot of work to do together."

"On that we can agree." Phantom nodded, glancing over at Stark and Rogers. "I guess the **Avengers** are fully united again, huh?"

Stark rolled his eyes.

"…for the most part." Rogers merely stated. "It's good to see all of Specter Haven back in the fight with us again, though."

"Who'd you rather have?" Wolfe questioned. "We get the job done!"

"Well, we're also looking into the **Guardians of the Galaxy** , the **Fantastic Four** , and of course, the **X-Men** to join us in the fight." Coulson pointed out.

"The Fantastic Four?" Firewalker's eyes widened. "I didn't know we were **that** desperate."

"They're not a bad crew." Peter interrupted, catching Specter Haven's attention.

"Yo, Parker! What's up, spider-dawg!" Firewalker walked up and greeted the webslinger as well. "Man, you lookin' like you've been workin' out. Getting **swole** at the gym or what, man?"

"Uh, not really, just doing **Spider-Man** things, you know!"

"Haha, I like your style!"

Wolfe approached him next, his towering presence trumping that of Firewalker's.

"Hahaha, how goes it, spider?!" Wolfe bear-hugged him and squeezed him tight. "It's been too long, my little friend!"

"Yeah…it…has!" He struggled to say. "It's…good…to…see…you!"

Wolfe put him down, grinning in happiness. Peter suspected that if he were an actual wolf, he'd be wagging his tail in happiness right about now. White Fox came up and gently pushed past Firewalker and Wolfe and gave him a warm hug.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again, Peter." She kindly greeted him. "I hope you've been doing well these past few years. You've been constantly in our thoughts."

"Thanks, Fox. All of you have been in mine as well."

Phantom slowly approached him last, standing right before him, and extending his hand.

" **Peter Parker** , it's great to work with you again." He kindly spoke.

Pete looked at the hand, grabbed it, and pulled Phantom closer for a close bro-hug.

"Come on, you've known me longer than that just to give me that awkward hand-shake. I missed you, Phantom!"

"The feeling is mutual, Parker, I assure you." They ended their bro-hug. "Listen, Parker, I'm…I'm sorry about what happened to your team. I heard about it and I should've intervened. **I'm sorry**. I should've done something."

"It was nobody's fault, Phantom. That's the way it happened so…it happened. Nobody could've done anything to stop a madman like Sitwell from taking them away. At least we'll have them back soon enough."

"True words, Parker, true words." Fury agreed. "Now, I don't mean to rush anyone off but you all must be tired. Director Hill and I have ensured there's an **entire section** of rooms dedicated for Specter Haven to use in the billeting platform. You're all welcome to head over there and settle down and get some rest."

"We only really need **Phantom** , **White Fox** , **Firewalker** , and **Wolfe** to accompany us on our next meeting." Director Hill added.

Wolfe groaned in complaint. His stomach growling.

The younger specters all greeted Peter as well, despite the fact they knew little about him apart from their time fighting alongside each other on Island M. Parker understood this and didn't mind it. He had a feeling that he was going to get to know them real well in the coming weeks anyway.

The agents helped them bring their belongings to the billeting platform where they settled into their rooms just well. The younger specters all enjoyed being somewhere other than **The Sanctuary** for a change, hoping to run into their counterparts that already became agents of R.O.G.U.E. somewhere around the base.

Meanwhile, the rest of them went to the Main Conference Room to talk the plans they have for the peace talks and what sort of plan in action they have in place to tackle on Asteroid M and Reaper's forces on the rock.

Despite all of it, Peter felt comfortable now that he reunited with Phantom, his old friend. It wouldn't be long now until he was back with his old teammates again, he was sure of it.

* * *

 _Later that day, somewhere else on Alpha Base…_

The meeting with Director Hill, Fury, Coulson, Stark, and Rogers went fairly well for Phantom and his team. There, Hill explained how she wanted to utilize Specter Haven as the spearhead for a possible assault against Asteroid M once enough information was gathered about the rock and its capabilities. Phantom supported the idea, although he also warned caution, as he feared what sort of defensive (and offensive) capabilities Reaper had up his sleeve.

However, she emphasized that this plan of action was only to occur **after** the peace talks, a decision that Phantom and the others all disagreed with completely. But, they quickly changed topics before it got out of hand.

Parker weighed in his experience that led him to Alpha Base, having his mind nearly turned to mush from Reaper's mind control. Although Phantom already knew about it, Peter's personal account of the experience gave him more of an insight as to what Reaper exactly **did** to Peter: he created a mental connection with the web-slinger.

Knowing that, he was unsure if what **Dr. Strange** did truly purged Reaper out of Parker's mind or if Reaper had just played dead to lead them to believe that he was gone.

The next matter at hand was the Manhattan Peace Talks, which were to occur in less than a week's time. Their liaison to the United States and the UN, **Sharon Carter** , was coordinating the meeting in Manhattan at the present moment, ensuring security was stepped up and that there was a guarantee that the two sides will not openly attack each other there.

Fury went over the topics that they would go over which included bringing to light S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret genocide of mutants around the globe, the various war crimes that Fury discovered while he was their prisoner, as well as Sitwell's act that converted the Avengers into wanted fugitives over the false label of terrorists.

After the meeting, Fury told Phantom that he needed to show him something in private. So, they spoke on the way as they approached the **R &D platform**.

"…Hill still doesn't understand, Fury. If we don't address Reaper's presence in-orbit soon, then there'll be hell to pay once he returns to Earth with God knows what sort of capability."

Fury listened intently, his hands clasped at his back, while they marched down the narrow walkways within the R&D platform, passing by research agents and other R.O.G.U.E. scientists.

"She isn't wrong, though. You must give her that much credit. At the present time, S.H.I.E.L.D. poses a much larger threat than Reaper does. Although their sister-agency, **S.W.O.R.D.** , has had a brief conflict trying to access the rock, there isn't any other sort of activity from it."

Phantom didn't seem convinced.

"Wasting resources to fight S.H.I.E.L.D. will prove useless if Reaper shows up in the middle of it. If we take what we have now and bring it to him, we might still have a chance."

Fury chuckled, expressing a half-smile as they continued walking.

"What's so funny, Fury?"

"It's been nearly **twenty years** , Cruz, and you're still that head-strong agent that rushed into situations without thinking them through. You haven't changed."

Phantom sighed.

"We're going to keep reminiscing **Alejandro Cruz's** time as an agent now?" He expressed irritably.

"For as long as I'm alive, yes. You keep saying that he's dead but Phantom is **no different** than what Alejandro Cruz was."

"This is **irrelevant** to the topic at hand." Phantom snapped.

Fury stopped him.

"Cruz, all I'm saying is that we need to gather our resources first. It's why you're here after all. It's why you're here, it's why the Avengers are here, it's why we're trying to find common ground with Sitwell so that we can collectively fight Reaper."

"You and I both know these talks are a ploy, a **smokescreen** , Fury. These aren't going to solve anything."

"I know." Fury sighed. "But we can **hope** , can't we? Don't worry, though. I'll make sure that son of a bitch knows I'm pretty pissed off I was held prisoner for **two years**."

They resumed walking.

"Try **sixteen** and **then** talk to me." Phantom darkly added.

Fury laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Cruz."

Finally, they stopped at a door along the empty metal-walled corridor. The sign on the door read " **Hangar-Observation Deck 2**."

"So, what is it that you had to show me, Fury?" Phantom glanced at the sign then back at the one-eyed former director.

"Well, unbeknownst to me, obviously, Hill and Coulson pooled together resources to give you and the rest of Specter Haven a powerful asset **and** advantage over Reaper and whatever we face in the coming months ahead. It's been two years in the making."

"It better not be a new wardrobe design." Phantom sighed. "Firewalker already went through a million costumes to give us 'the perfect look'."

Fury raised an eyebrow.

"Forget it." Phantom shook his head. "They shouldn't have, however. We do more with less, anyway."

"That's what I said." Fury agreed. "But, after seeing what they actually made for you, I couldn't see a better gift to give you guys."

"Alright then, let's see it."

Fury opened the door into an observation room with glass windows on all sides. It peered out into a massive stadium-sized hangar bay. Sitting right in the middle, to Phantom's extreme astonishment, was a large jet-like ship. It was massive in scope, making up at least a quarter of the size of a helicarrier.

Its design resembled that of the Vietnam-era Blackbird SR-71, but much larger. The main body was black while its twin engines on both sides were painted white. The sides of the body bore the Specter Haven symbol and on the top of one of the wings had the R.O.G.U.E. insignia painted on it.

"I present to you, Phantom, **The Eidolon** , **Mark II**." Fury introduced it.

Phantom's jaw had dropped, despite his face being covered by a mask. He was blown away at the sight of it and couldn't believe his eyes, observing it in awed silence.

"It's built to be your own mobile command center for Specter Haven's operations throughout the globe for the next several months. It has **four decks** : an **armory** and **hangar** deck, an **engineering** deck, a **command and control** deck, as well as a deck for **living quarters**.

"It has four enhanced energy cannons as well as one main battery that can deal an extremely powerful blow. There are various gun placements throughout the command deck as well as an arsenal of seeker missiles at its disposal." Fury continued.

"Fury, this is… this is magnificent. I… I don't know what to say." Phantom shook his head, at a loss of words.

Fury smiled, staring at the ship alongside him.

"Don't thank me, Cruz. You can thank Hill and Coulson when you see them. They'd be here, but, you know that they rarely sleep with all the operations R.O.G.U.E. has going on."

"Yeah, it's just… how is Wolfe, Firewalker, Fox, and I supposed to maintain that ship?"

"We have a thirty-man team of trusted agents already assigned to the ship. There's a galley and a small medical bay in the same deck as the living quarters and we'll have personnel assigned to those areas as well." Fury explained.

"Jeez." Phantom let out a small chuckle. "You might as well have handed me control of a helicarrier for that matter."

"Well, it's **also** able to travel into space. The **G-Force** from its **rapid ascension drive** will surprise you, if the test reports are to be believed."

Phantom smiled, staring at it.

"Thank you, Fury."

"Again, don't thank me. But, I'd say it's a fitting reward for everything Specter Haven's done for us this far."

"Firewalker and Wolfe are going to lose their minds over this." Phantom expressed a small laugh.

"And Fox?"

"She'll love it."

"Good." Fury crossed his arms. "Now, let's get going, Phantom. We've got a lot of ground to cover before the **peace talks**."

* * *

 ** _Story Abandonment_** : Due to unfortunate and permanent circumstances that have met the author of this story, it has been formally abandoned and no future chapters will be written or added. We apologize for the inconvenience, we understand the frustration that accompanies a great story, only for it to end abruptly. We hope and pray that this ending will encourage new writers to finish the work that Aferus started and may even create new adaptations to his work.

Thank you for understanding. Continue to unleash your imaginations, dear writers.

\- Account Management


	10. The Manhattan Peace Talks

_**The Manhattan Peace Talks**_

* * *

 **Note**

Hey guys! So, yeeeeeeeaaaaaah. I went ahead and wrote up next chap for VR. For those who don't know, I replaced Afe as his new ghost-writer writing his stories and you can read more about that on this profile.

Anyway! I compiled his notes on the next part of VR and just wanted to put this out there to see if this fits what the readers think is good for the future of the trilogy. Let me know what y'all think, plz!

Take a look at the origins story for Phantom that I've also been working on!

-Jack Montero

* * *

 _At the United Nations Headquarters on Manhattan Island…_

After arriving in New York City with the U.S. amnesty granted to R.O.G.U.E., Nick Fury and Phantom got straight to work with compiling a list of formal demands and grievances to present to S.H.I.E.L.D. under the eyes of the UN and the American government.

Although Fury knew well enough that none of this would actually be peacefully resolved at the talks, he wanted to at least put the world on notice of what was to come if S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't placed in check. He knew he'd have to peel back the vital layers of secrecy that revolves around S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vital core in order to push change, and to do so, he knew that **great care** was absolutely necessary to avoid a war breaking out between nations.

Fury had _**The Eidolon**_ docked off Manhattan Island across the East River at a secure location on Long Island just in case they needed a quick extraction in any event or surprise S.H.I.E.L.D. might conjure up at the talks.

Over the next two week time period, Peter took the time to go visit **Aunt May** at her home in Queens to explain what was going on, or rather briefly, saying that he was working with **Stark Industries** as a science intern, although she really wasn't convinced. She was actually a little more concerned about what was going on with Phil Coulson, feeling a mixture of guilt and excitement from dating a fugitive wanted by S.H.I.E.L.D.

He tried to contact **Harry** but learned that he was at a conference with major business leaders for the president in **Washington, D.C.** and that he wasn't going to be back for another week.

As far as **MJ** went, he tried messaging her several times but with no luck. He knew his only chance at safely talking to her would be if she shows up at the talks as a reporter to cover the event. Without any other means of communicating with her, he knew that it was his only safe bet.

 **Wolfe, Fox, and Firewalker** proceeded forward to the talks alongside Phantom while the rest of Specter Haven stayed behind at **Alpha Base** in the event that they would need them later.

Finally, the morning of the day came and Phantom and Fury pooled their resources together as they loaded up on private federal SUVs and were driven down to the UN Headquarters by American federal agents. **Sharon Carter** escorted them, as her role of liaison.

They sat in the SUV, Phantom sitting next to Fury facing towards the front of the car while Agent Carter sat in a parallel seat in front of them, facing them.

"Let me do all the talking, **Cruz**. I know you've got a lot to say to that son-of-a-bitch Sitwell, but we've got to remain diplomatic here," Fury briefly stated.

"Am I not capable of diplomacy?" Phantom calmly questioned.

"I think he means that Sitwell will try to provoke you to draw a reaction that will force the mediators to revoke your amnesty and get you arrested on the spot," Sharon Carter clarified.

"They may try."

"That **won't** help the cause, Cruz. You're here because you're the only one I can trust to watch my back while we're in there. Are we clear?"

"We're clear, Fury."

After several minutes on the road with a police escort, they arrived at the headquarters. The front of the place was lined up with protestors calling for an end to the conflict as well as a small army of reporters who seemed to ignite into flashes as the SUVs rolled up on the curb.

Manhattan Police as well as federal agents rushed in to make a clear patch for Fury and Phantom to walk through.

"Are you ready, Cruz?"

"Let's do this."

They opened the SUV doors and filed through towards the UN building. Phantom remained visible, as to not deceive anyone, especially the mediators. He did his best to avoid eyesight with the reporters, who some began questioning his ties to Taskmaster, the "terrorist behind the Manhattan Incident".

They arrived to the main conference room after a few minutes of walking into the building where the room opened up into a large basket-ball court sized hall with seats spirling upwards that represented the different nations of the UN.

The seats all were directed towards the middle of the hall, which had two tables, each of had a small flag representing either the S.H.I.E.L.D. or R.O.G.U.E. faction.

On the S.H.I.E.L.D. faction, Director Sitwell was already seated. He glared at Fury and Phantom as they approached their respective table, like a snake waiting for its prey to approach them.

Fury kept his stern gaze on the man sitting in his once respected seat of power for S.H.I.E.L.D.

As they sat, the Manhattan Peace Talks began in earnest.

* * *

 _On Asteroid M, orbiting over the surface of Earth…_

In the remains of what used to be Magneto's grand observatory, a tall figure stood, looking out into the spherical glass-panel ceiling into the sea of space, staring directly at Earth.

The observatory had been restructured to resemble more of a giant throne room, with the skeletal remains of those who perished during the **Battle of Island M** decorating the observatory in a twisted pattern scheme that seemed to mimic a large picture.

 **Moros** , one of the Reaper's generals, cautiously approached Reaper within his observatory. As one of his two most trusted allies, alongside **Tombstone** , Moros served as head of operations for Asteroid M, and was usually the only person that spoke to Reaper directly, as Tombstone didn't have the ability to speak.

Clad in his dark, metallic skeletal-like armor, Moros removed his ox-skull helmet to address Reaper.

"My **master** …" He knelt, facing downwards while Reaper's back remained facing him.

Reaper remained silent.

"Per your orders, all available **Reaper Sentinel Units** have been activated and are ready to deploy," he wearily continued.

His master continued to be silent.

"M-master?"

"For decades now, I've only been able to **dream** of the day where I would exact my **revenge** on humanity, Moros, for everything they've **committed** , for what they did to **Genosha** , and for what they continue to do," Reaper sternly stated.

He finally turned to face Moros, revealing his nightmarish helmet that he fashioned for himself utilizing **Taskmaster's Skull-Mask** and **Magneto's Helmet** , with metal horns to mimic what appeared to be a crown.

"… **at last** , **I** will save the entirety of the Earth by uplifting them all into a new level of existence," he finished.

Moros stood up and nodded in agreement.

"Master, Tombstone is awaiting your orders to deploy the Reaper Sentinels."

"Prepare the **Vanguard** and ready my flag-ship. The end of days has arrived…"

Moros complied and marched away.

Reaper turned to face the Earth once more, glaring at it with his menacing glowing red eyes.

"… **I hope you're prepared** , **Phantom**."

* * *

 _Outside the Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning…_

For weeks now, **Gambit** and **Wolverine** have been staking out the institute in a small black van, trying to plan out an escape plan for the students and teachers locked within its walls under S.H.I.E.L.D. oversight. While they have almost been caught a few times, they remained under the radar for the most part. Gambit was keeping an eye on the guard rotations at the rear gate of the walled-off campus grounds while Wolverine would survey the grounds under the guise of a yard-worker maintaining the grounds.

What they had both discovered was that they were periodically sending mutants off campus to someplace unknown. The trucks would be filled up with 5 or 6 mutants and they would return **empty**. Gambit suspected they were taking them to some form of **concentration camp**. Wolverine agreed.

It was about midday and they both took a break to eat lunch before resuming their reconnaissance.

"So, have you come up with any ideas to break those kids out of there?" Wolverine inquired, taking a bite out of a sandwich.

"A few. I'm thinkin' about something a bit drastic, a bit show-offy, but it **might** just work," Gambit simply answered.

"Well, spit it out, then."

"We **could** use the **X-Jet** that's locked up underground. Use it to lay an assault on the campus while **one of us** leads the X-Men and the rest of the mutants **to safety**."

"You **do** know that by doing that, you'll get the whole of **S.H.I.E.L.D.** over here to stop us, right? I thought the plan was to be subtle?"

"We could use **Specter Haven** to help us out but I do believe they've got bigger problems, mistah Logan," Gambit shrugged. "We can't be subtle with the level of security those cats have on that school."

"I… see your point," Wolverine sighed.

"Look,"

Gambit pulled out a small, wrinkled map of the campus and pointed out the entrances to the main garage facility where the X-Jet was housed in the undergrounds.

"I've got some piloting experience with that thang, I think I'm the **best suited** to get that thing up in the air and provide a distraction while you get in there, use your powers that be to gather everyone up in the main cafeteria and lead them to safety through the back. Surely S.H.I.E.L.D.'s got some transport vehicles we can use, right?"

"That's a bit of a stretch, Gambit…"

"It's the best plan I've got so far, Logan. And we're running out of time before all those mutants are shipped up to someplace else."

"I guess," Wolverine remained seemingly unconvinced.

"I suggest we do this **tonight** ," Gambit proposed. "The sooner, the better."

"Once we break them out, **where** are we going to take them?" Wolverine quickly questioned.

"I've been in contact with our allies at **R.O.G.U.E.** through your connection. Their envoy to Manhattan for their little talks has provided us with a window of opportunity. We just need to lose S.H.I.E.L.D.'s trail long enough for them to come extract us with one of their heli-carriers in the region."

With that, the two mutants began to make the preparations needed for the night's rescue. They had to be sure that S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't suspect them of anything, so they had to drive a way's away and bring up as much information as they could to make the right plan work.

* * *

 _Back at Alias Investigations in Alexandria, Virginia…_

Their run-in with the dangerous and elusive **Punisher** proved to be more helpful to **Jessica Jones** and **Carl Lucas** than they had both initially expected. It turns out that Frank Castle had followed a trail of dangerous gangsters all the way back to the nation's capital and he was in the middle of cleaning house when they showed up.

He knew that they were on his trail for a while, but they didn't know that it was **him** that was behind all the killings. Lucas offered an olive branch of truce in exchange for information on the other gangsters Castle was hunting, but he refused, opting to work alone.

In good faith, he left them be with **Vincenzo Valtteri's** body in that abandoned theatre.

They thought they had seen the last of Castle that night, since he was known to cover up his tracks very well but didn't expect him to show up in the middle of the day a few weeks later.

 **Jessica** and **Lucas** were watching a live report on the **Manhattan Peace Talks** , hearing Nick Fury argue back against S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Jasper Sitwell on the crimes and atrocities committed in the last two years against him and against global entities worldwide.

Lucas saw Phantom sitting next to Fury, which was strange because he hadn't seen the elusive mutate in so many years. It reminded him of his last mission with **Peter** and his team.

"Ugh, can you change the channel? I'm getting tired of watching this. It's like watching **C-SPAN** but with those losers talking instead," Jessica complained.

Just as Lucas was about to change the channel, the front door to the office slammed open and a hooded **Frank Castle** stood in the doorway. He wore an entirely **black** outfit, a black overcoat and black combat boots to accompany.

Lucas stood up but Frank pulled out a pistol and trained it right at him.

This caused him to chuckle.

"Damn, Castle. You should know by now that that bullet isn't going to stop me."

"I did my homework, big boy. A Judas bullet for sure can."

"Wait… how did you get one of th-…"

"Don't ask where I got it from. Sit down," Frank calmly demanded.

Once Lucas sat, Frank put his pistol away.

"I'm here to talk. Nothing more."

"Great way of peacemaking," Jessica rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Castle? We already promised we'd leave you alone to do your **'punishing'**."

Frank ignored her and turned directly to Lucas.

"A little birdie told me you once worked with **that** guy,"

He pointed to **Phantom** on the television set. Lucas was confused at first, not knowing what he meant.

"A few years ago, yeah. **Why**?"

"Little birdie also told me that **that's** **Alejandro Cruz**. Is that true?" Frank's tone grew instantly solemn.

Lucas looked at Jessica then back at Frank, unsure of how to approach this. More so, **unsure** of why Frank wanted to know.

"It's true."

" **Bullshit**!" Frank exploded. "I was one of the **pallbearers** at **his funeral**! **Cruz** is **dead**!"

"He's not lying, Castle," Jessica sincerely spoke. " **That** guy went through a series of **experiments** that **fucked** him up. S.H.I.E.L.D. covered up his existence and was presumed dead."

"Well, that's not how **I would** put it," Lucas interrupted.

"You tell it to me straight, Lucas, you tell it all to me. If that guy is who you say he is then **I want** a meeting with him and you **two** are going to help me set that up," Frank's tone converted into a mixed tone of panic, anger, and desperation.

"Who do you think we are? We're **P.I.s** , not diplomatic ambassadors!" Jessica argued. "You're barking up the wrong tree, here!"

"I'm not giving you both a choice. **First** , you're gonna tell me what's what with this Phantom guy. I want to know it all."

Lucas sighed.

"Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Just, start at the beginning," Frank urged.

With that, Lucas told Frank everything, from when they first encountered him in the Amazon, to his involvement in the **Manhattan Incident** going after Deadpool  & Taskmaster, to the recruitment of **Specter Haven** , and finally to the **Battle of Island M** where the split finalized between R.O.G.U.E. and S.H.I.E.L.D.

* * *

 _On the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil…_

After the encounter with **Kraven the Hunter** , **Ava** went right into hiding. She knew that, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources at his disposal, Kraven would search every inch of **Rio** to find her, knowing that she wouldn't leave the city easily. That night after she escaped his grasp, Senhora Larissa tended to Ava's wounds, treating her with all sorts of herbs and healing medicines.

The morning after, Ava woke up to the sounds of armed men trying to break into Senhora Larissa's house. Kraven must've had some form of **detector** to minimize his distance to the **Jade Tiger Amulet** and sent his men after her.

Senhora Larissa feigned ignorance to the men while she let Ava escape through the backdoor to her small home. Despite her healing injuries, Ava was able to escape and evade capture, opting to hide in the outskirts of the city, closest to the jungle. There were several abandoned structures out there where she took refuge in while she tried to figure out how she was going to deal with Kraven.

Over the span of two weeks, Ava was able to repair her costume during the day and go spy on Kraven's operations at night, which were usually being conducted at night near the piers lining the city. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s regional **heli-carrier** remained stationed within Rio's airspace. Kraven and his men would round up **mutants** found within the city and ship them off to the heli-carrier.

In return, S.H.I.E.L.D. rewarded Kraven with hunting gear, like the technology he used to track down the Jade Tiger Amulet. His desperation to find White Tiger carried him far and wide throughout the city. And, by the second week, he had figured out that she was hiding within the jungles on the outskirts of the city.

She retreated to an abandoned hut belonging to some of the indigenous tribes of Brazil within the Amazon and where she had been taking refuge for a few nights now. With little materials to fully repair her costume, she resorted to using natural resources to replace parts of her costume, which had faced even more wear and tear through small skirmishes with Kraven's men throughout the city.

To fix this, she made several modifications with the natural resources…

She used bark from some of the Amazon's tougher trees to cover her bare arms and act as a simple protection, using plant fibers to fasten them.

In one recent fight, one of Kraven's men grabbed at her mask and tore off the lower half of it. She used a knife to straighten out the tear and keep the lower half exposed.

In another fight, Kraven's men tried locking Ava in a warehouse that was set aflame and the costume suffered burn damage from the knees down, even if it kept her skin safe.

As a simple fix, she used bark to cover her shins and kept her feet bare. With Kraven's men moving deeper into the jungle, she opted for a native appearance to blend in with the jungle.

Finally, she removed her gloves and used her natural claws to defend herself.

Ava sat in silence in her little hut, peering through the small holes in the roof of her hut. The sun blazed overhead, humidifying the entire area inside and outside the hut.

She closed her eyes, hearing the roar of helicopters approaching her location. Kraven was getting close. She could feel it. It was time to defend herself.

* * *

 _Back at the Manhattan Peace Talks…_

Fury slammed his fist on the table.

" **No** , Sitwell. **For the last time**. **Nobody** at S.H.I.E.L.D. while **I** was in charge was **aware** that Taskmaster would commandeer the heli-carrier that was stationed here over Manhattan!"

"Yet, you all did a good job of **protecting** that **fugitive** sitting to your right. I'll have you know that **Agent Cruz** , this ' **Phantom** ' character is responsible for the disappearances of thousands that were taken at the hands of Taskmaster and Deadpool. **You** presided over this failure," Sitwell angrily retorted.

"And **that** justifies what you're doing to mutants worldwide?" Phantom calmly interjected.

Sitwell glanced over to the UN Ambassador mediating the event. The Indian woman merely nodded in his direction.

"We're **here** to discuss terms of **R.O.G.U.E.'s dissolution** and **return** to S.H.I.E.L.D., not over your allegations. You don't even have concrete evidence to support your claims," Sitwell continued.

Fury opened up a folder and sprawled it open. It contained several pictures of what appeared to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. blacksite containing cages upon cages of **mutants** , as alleged with the labelling on the cages.

"This is a blacksite somewhere in Canada where **S.H.I.E.L.D.** has imprisoned and experimented on several mutants for the past two years now. This is a violation of mutant rights," Fury began to explain to the mediator.

Sitwell chuckled.

"Mutants don't have an authority nor a formal doctrine of rights in these proceedings. What if I told you those mutants were imprisoned there on suspicion of terrorist charges? Hmm? This is no different than how we treat **human** prisoners in Guantanamo Bay."

Phantom leaned in closer to Fury.

"The UN Ambassador's on Sitwell's payroll," he whispered.

"How do you know?"

"I could hear her thoughts. The mental connection was after we shook hands before the talks began," Phantom explained.

"Then how do you suggest we proceed?"

"Talk about the threat of Asteroid M…"

Just as Fury straightened himself out to begin bringing up points of unity, changing the dynamic of the talks, in order to protect themselves from the threat **Asteroid M** poses over Earth, a S.H.I.E.L.D. specialist ran up to the tables from the lobby outside.

"Excuse me, Director, we have urgent information. We've just lost contact with all the S.W.O.R.D. ships monitoring Asteroid M. The ISS isn't responding as well," she urgently stated.

"W-What?" Sitwell was confused. "Do we have any video footage on the asteroid?"

"We do, sir."

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Put it on that monitor right now!" He ordered, pointing to the large screen that faced the chamber.

"Yes, sir!"

She ran back to the lobby and within seconds, a feed pulled up from the **International Space Station** timestamped **minutes ago**.

A fleet of S.W.O.R.D. deep-space ships blockaded the massive asteroid that had no remains of its island nature left. Suddenly, a bright red flash of light split across the middle of the island and a huge wave of what appeared to be giant silver mechanical beings swarmed out of the asteroid. There were thousands… too many to count that came pouring out all at once.

The video feed was disrupted and faded off into static.

" **He's come…** " Phantom darkly stated, standing up and looking across the Manhattan skyline from the glass-wall window that faced the room.

From the dark clouds, he could see them…

The beings that swarmed out of Asteroid M penetrated the airspace and began landing down on Manhattan Island, attacking the city with strong streams of energy blasts from their hands.

They all varied in size, some small, some large, and **one** skyscraper-tall one. It landed near the UN Headquarters and seemed to stare directly at the window.

"Everyone, move!" Phantom ordered as it shot a strong blast of energy into the building, igniting it into flames.

* * *

 **Note**

Man, this was a heavy undertakin! =O Afe, if you're reading this, sorry bro, I just thought I could write a good chap to keep this story goin! For all you readers, new or old, plz let me know if it was good, if I could improve on some places and if you like it, hit that follow/fave button. Thanks! – jack montero


	11. Reaper's Invasion

_**Reaper's Invasion**_

* * *

 **Note**

Hey again my dudes! I just wanted to say super big thanks for all the positive feedback! I'm temporarily putting the Phantom origins story on hold while I come up with an outline for this story so that I can follow Afe's original plan down to a T. I've got a lot of work coming my way and a busy college semester in the Fall. So, I've got my work cut out for me! =O hope y'all love this next chap! It's a little **long** but for real, it's good!

* * *

 _Static on a television set before switching to a news channel…_

"T-This is **J. Jonah J** …(static)… **reporting live** from downtown Manhattan where…"

 _Switches to another channel, a dark-skinned reporter was reporting from an alleyway with a number of human-sized sentinels attacking cars…_

"There are **giant** mechanical robots **attacking the city**! You heard it here **first folks**! The **Nationa** …(static)…"

 _And to another channel, an Asian female reporter was reporting from inside a restaurant, taking cover as several car-sized sentinels began picking up vehicles and throwing them at civilians…_

"…we haven't seen an attack of **this magnitude** since the Manhattan…(static)…"

 _Finally lands on a channel where_ _ **Mary J. Watson**_ _was reporting, taking cover within the UN Headquarters lobby as a giant skyscraper-sized sentinel lands a couple blocks from the headquarters, demolishing a small building in the process…_

"…we **warn anyone** within New York City limits to evacuate the city **as fast as possible**! Take refuge where you can, at least until…"

Just then, the sentinel unleashed a column of red energetic light that blasts the entire upper-floor section of the building, cutting off the news feed entirely.

* * *

 _In the remains of the UN conference chamber… where the talks were being held…_

The blast from the sentinel completely destroyed the conference chamber. Tables were overturned and several dead bodies of dignitaries from around the world lied about, to include the UN mediator herself.

 **Phantom** began to regain consciousness after being temporarily knocked out by the blast, finding himself lying on his back with a few glass shards penetrating his face.

As the blurred sounds of screaming and yelling began to sharpen, he opened his eyes **just in time** to see **Director Sitwell** be escorted out of the room by his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

He slowly lifted himself up, hearing a distant voice call out for him.

" **Cruz**!"

The clouds of smoke and fire prevented him from seeing who was calling for him.

"God damn it, **Cruz** , wake up!"

He turned to see Fury rush towards him from the corner of the room. The blast had **seared** the lower right side of his black overcoat and his eyepatch had torn off, revealing his bad eye.

"Now's not the time to rest!"

Fury leaned down and helped Phantom up, allowing him to get his bearings.

" **I told you** , he'd get here, Fury," Phantom remarked, calmly approaching the opening that used to be the glass window that was completely shattered.

" **Don't remind me** ," Fury sighed. "Let me see if I can raise _**The Eidolon**_ and get us the hell out of here."

Phantom looked out onto the Manhattan skyline, almost staggering from what he was seeing. **Thousands** of these robotic beings were terrorizing the entire city, some seeming to have reached across to Jersey. There were **three** of them that were the size of skyscrapers, and some that were the size of small buildings. Each one of them were blasting some sort of dark red energy into the streets, completely disintegrating some of the citizens.

" **No** … No, no, no, no…" Phantom balled his fist to contain his anger. He couldn't' believe what he was seeing: the destruction of Manhattan.

From what it appeared, there were more on the way.

In the skies, the beings were arriving, more and more coming with each minute. They appeared like fireballs penetrating the atmosphere, with **Asteroid M** visible in the far-off distance in space.

" **Eidolon** , can you hear me?! Damn it!" Fury continued to try as he knelt near a dead security guard and picked up his handgun.

"Try my private channel with **Specter Haven** ," Phantom suggested, still looking out into the city.

"Alright."

Fury switched frequencies and immediately got **Fox** on his communicator.

"Fox? Fox, can you hear me? Yes, **Cruz** and I are still alive. I can't find **Carter** anywhere in this rubble, though. Where are you? How fast can you get to the pier next to us? Alright, we'll meet you there."

He grabbed another handgun from another guard and passed it off to Phantom.

"Looks like your girlfriend will be the one to save us today, Cruz."

"Now **is not the time** to jest, Fury," Phantom retorted, keeping his gaze on the skyline.

"I know. Look, we both **knew** that something like this was going to happen. Let's not dwell on it but start **doing** something about it. Come on, we need to get out of here."

Phantom took a brief sigh.

"Alright."

The two exited the conference chamber through the front entrance where they first arrived, working their way through a maze of hallways to get to the emergency stairwell. They passed several dead bodies along the way and a few survivors whom Fury beckoned to have them follow to safety.

To their unpleasant surprise, part of the stairwell had been destroyed, a good level and a half worth of stairs were broken off with the blast. So, both Phantom and Fury had to traverse to the lower levels by gripping the leftover railing downwards, doing their best not to slip off and fall several stories to the bottom.

"I thought we'd have more time," Phantom grunted as he scaled down the railing.

"I know. I thought so too," Fury answered, doing the same.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now? How can we stop **that**?"

As they landed on the stable staircase below, Fury quickly grabbed Phantom before he slipped off the railing.

" **T-Thanks** ,"

"Don't mention it. I think the **best thing** we can do now is return to Alpha Base and mobilize R.O.G.U.E. and the Avengers."

"Even if we were to all pool our resources together, Fury, it's not going to be enough to stop an invasion **like that**."

"The point isn't to stop the invasion, Cruz. We need to **stop Reaper**. We need to cut off the head the snake."

"Easier said than done."

Finally, they reached the street level, to find a lobby filled with reporters and protestors trying to take cover. In the streets, there was a blockade of crashed and destroyed cars. Some of the UN soldiers posted outside were returning fire on the human-sized robots shooting energy beams at them. Above all else, there were dead bodies sprawled about. Some of reporters and some of soldiers.

The two of them walked through the lobby, keeping an eye on all the exits and the skirmish that was occurring outside. The sounds of sirens and gunfire were heard outside as well as the god-awful sound of the screeching blasts the robots were shooting off.

They found an exit into the side-street, away from the fighting on the main road in front of the headquarters and began making their way closer to the East River.

"I'm patching you through to this connection, Phantom," Fury announced as they ran up the street.

As the channel came through, Fox's voice echoed through both their communicators.

"(static)… Phantom, are you guys okay?"

"We're fine, **Fox**. What's your status?"

"Wolfe took over the piloting controls because our pilot was on lunch break, we're headed your way now. It might take a minute, tho…(static)."

They made their way through to the river-side street to find it crammed with several other vehicles that were abandoned by their drivers because of the attack. They could make out the sight of a downed S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet at the edge of the docks nearest to the headquarters.

"Damn, the signal went out again," Phantom tapped on his communicator. "They won't be able to find us without a signal."

Fury pointed at the downed Quinjet.

"I'm willing to bet we can find a stronger signal from that Quinjet!" He suggested.

"We might as well."

As they approached the downed Quinjet, a giant shadow covered the entire street. They looked up to see **another** skyscraper-sized sentinel land right in the **middle** of the East River. In that moment, it pulsated some sort of electrical signal that **uncloaked** a S.H.I.E.L.D. heli-carrier that flew in front of it.

The heli-carrier unleashed a barrage of missiles from its cannons towards the sentinel, but it appeared to be unaffected. It seemed to **laugh** at the plight of the heli-carrier.

" **Shit** …" Fury looked up. "It's going to **take down** that heli-carrier."

After the initial barrage, the heli-carrier reloaded its cannons, but the sentinel had shielded itself just long enough to unleash a gigantic energetic blast towards the heli-carrier. It penetrated the bridge and hit the main power conduit directly, causing the heli-carrier to violently **explode** over the East River.

The shockwave from the explosion pulsated through the water and caused a slew of cars to jump up and over Phantom and Fury. The cars almost crushed them as they made their way towards the edge of the docks.

* * *

 _A few blocks away from the UN Headquarters…_

Peter was nearby the building that collapsed when the skyscraper-sized sentinel landed. In its destruction, a huge cloud of smoke and debris filled the streets, blinding anyone in its path. Peter hesitated for a brief second before reaching out and touching the edge of a building. Quickly, he took out his costume from his backpack and suited up. He turned on his communicator to see if he could contact Phantom or Fury.

"Is there anyone on this frequency? Hello? Fury?" He called out, scaling the building next to him to get a bird's eye view of the situation.

"(static)… **P-Parker?** " Fury's voice screeched through the static.

"Nick, that you?!"

"It's me, kid. (static) -ake your way towards the docks next to the UN headquarters. There's (static)…downed Quinjet! (static)… meet you there!"

"Alright, I've got to find **MJ** first, though! I've got to save her! I can't leave her behind!"

He sighed when he realized the response was silent static.

"Alright, c'mon Spidey, c'mon Spidey… **Go save MJ** , then meet up with Fury at the docks. Easy enough, right?"

He jumped off towards the direction of the UN HQ building but was quickly redirected when he heard cries of help in the adjacent streets. A group of human-sized sentinels were closing in on a large crowd of tourists who were trying to defend themselves by throwing rocks and whatever else they could find at the sentinels while taking cover behind cars.

Spidey swung into action by shooting a series of webs at the destructive mechs and pulling them all together into one giant grouping of them. He then swung them around and threw them off into the distance.

The tourists cheered him on as he swung away back towards the UN HQ building.

Suddenly, **another** cry for help, from what appeared to be a duo of military veterans who pulled out handguns to try to take down the mechs. One of them blasted a car onto them and they were crushed from the waist down by the car.

Webbing up the sentinels and slamming them against the brick wall of the parallel building, Spidey helped lift the car off of them and carried both of them individually to a safe refuge where other citizens were hiding nearby.

It seemed never-ending. There were cries for help everywhere and he wasn't strong enough to take on the bigger sentinels, crushing his resolve when he had to direct his help towards the only citizens he could physically help.

Finally, the trail of helping people led him towards the street nearby the UN HQ building. He rushed into the lobby to find some of the reporters picking up the weapons of the downed guards and mustering up their courage to fight back against the sentinels that were encroaching on the main road outside.

"Mary Jane? Mary Jane, are you here?!" He cried out to the confused reporters.

"Sp-Spider-Man?" A familiar voice called out.

He turned to see Mary Jane approach him with a cameraman behind her.

"Oh, **thank God** , you're alive!" Spidey hugged her, not realizing that he was still in costume.

"Um… thanks? Spidey, are you here to help?! Do you know what's going on out there?" She quickly inquired, removing herself from his embrace.

" **Crap**. I forgot," he stumbled.

Her eyes widened.

"Billy, can you give us a moment?" She requested. Her cameraman nodded and walked over to see if another group of reporters were okay.

"P-Peter?" Her voice fell to a gasp. "You're… **Spider-Man**?"

He calmly nodded.

"I know it's **a lot** to explain, MJ. I **know**. But… you've **got** to come with me. From what I can see, Manhattan isn't going to stay free much longer. We need to get **off** this island, and I'm not going to let you stay here alone!"

She mouthed what appeared to be "oh, my God" as she peered over to the distraught reporters. The lobby was filled with reporters who were trying to tend to the injuries of others. For the moment, it was a safe haven for the people outside in the streets trying to escape the wrath of the sentinels outside.

"Peter, I can't just leave these people by themselves," she quietly told him. "These people **need a voice**. They need help!"

"MJ, **I know**. Trust me, **I know**. But, you're not going to help them in here."

"Then what do you suggest I do then while I'm with you? Peter, I'm a **reporter** , I have to report something!"

He thought for a moment, trying to ignore the despair and violence around him. He knew that by escaping Manhattan, the next plan would **have** to be to rally up the Avengers and anybody else willing to fight to save the city. Maybe MJ could report on that?

"What if… what if you came with us and reported back to the people fighting to stay alive?"

"What do you mean?" She became intrigued.

" **Look** , whatever happens next, it's up to the Avengers… **along with me** … to find help and bring it back here to help save the city. There's no other reason why we would leave except for that! Maybe you can report back to the people of New York that they're not alone and that we're going to come back to save them! You'd have **exclusive access** to that info!" He tried to humor her towards the end of his sentence.

She sighed.

"I think you're right. But, Peter, how…"

Suddenly, a loud, metallic horn-like noise blasted throughout the airspace above Manhattan. From a nearby television that was still working, a news feed was capturing what appeared to be a **giant portal** opening up towards the south end of the island.

* * *

 _At the South End of the Island…_

From the darkness of space that appeared beyond the portal, a giant **ship** began to appear through it. It floated silently into the city. From the look of it, it appeared to be a **heli-carrier** of some sort. But it was redesigned with an armor plating that looked like it came from a **Chitauri Leviathan.**

On the forward edge of the **"flight deck"** of the ship, **Reaper's** unmistakable figure stood, grasping the hilt of his sword as it pointed downwards. At his back, his proclaimed **Vanguard** stood, in black metallic bone-like armor that resembled his.

 **Tombstone** , the silent mutate, was the one who opened up the portal using the powers behind the staff that Reaper created for him.

To Reaper's right, **Moros** stood, watching the city in chaos below. He wore his ox-skull helmet that covered his entire head, with only his green glowing eyes visible.

Behind those three, the rest of the **Vanguard** stood: **Aeolus, Goliath, Riptide, Ember, Dragonfly, and Titan** , the other mutates that sided with Reaper after Magneto's demise.

Reaper sighed a breath of relief, watching the city begin to tear itself apart in chaos from his Reaper Sentinels. It brought him greater pleasure to know that this wasn't exclusive to only **Manhattan** …but the **entire world**.

He turned to face his Vanguard.

"Brothers and sisters, **the time has come**. We stand at the precipice of great change, of **evolution**. For **too long** , **humanity** has remained the very **scourge** that destroyed what was once my home, what was once my only place of refuge, in a far off distant timeline.

"I watched as humanity **murdered** my family of mutants and mutates alike, cutting them down, and violating their natural **freedoms**. I stood by for **decades** , waiting until **now** to finally unleash my full **vengeance** upon this world for what it has done to me. Magneto sacrificed his life to ensure we would come to this **exact moment**."

The Reaper Sentinels temporarily ceased their attacks while the ship floated through the Manhattan airspace. Their chests opened up to reveal some sort of **green liquid** stored in tanks and ready for some sort of **dispersal**.

The larger sentinels had these tanks stored in their legs, with vents opening up in those areas.

All this occurred while Reaper spoke.

" **But** , with my vengeance, comes a drop of **mercy**. I won't **extinguish** humanity. **No**. I will **uplift** them into a new level of **existence**! Into my army of wraiths, they will spread like a disease upon their people until **every one** of them is converted…"

He turned back to face the city.

"Behold, the **Vitruvian Destiny**. Utter… **perfection**."

With that order, the Reaper Sentinels released a green smoke into the air, blanketing entire districts of the city in it. Within seconds, people began coughing as their entire form violently morphed into that of a Wraith.

Mindlessly, they began attacking those that weren't quickly affected.

In a matter of minutes, the Wraiths accompanied the Sentinels in their quest for destruction across Manhattan Island.

"Shall I give the final order, my master?" Moros respectfully asked.

Reaper took a deep breath, clenching the hilt of his sword once more, smiling beneath his helmet.

"Deliver them," he simply ordered.

With that, Moros turned around and called on the rest of the Vanguard to bring forth their attacks on humanity and to concentrate on all major cities across the globe.

 **Aeolus, Dragonfly, and Valkyrie** took to the skies to down any form of aircraft while **Riptide** took to the waterways to prevent naval vessels from sending help.

 **Titan, Goliath, and Ember** launched themselves downwards onto the city to assist the other sentinels. **Moros and Tombstone** stayed next to Reaper.

"With this… I rid the world of **the human plague**. I sunder this world and forever **free it**."

* * *

"Hello!? Hello, is anyone on this frequency!? We're trapped behind (static)…"

"Please! They're trying to break down the door! They already killed my neighbor, somebody please send (static)…"

"…is there anyone out there that can help!? My children are coughing from the green smoke outside! Someone plea… (static)…"

"Where are the Avengers!? (static)…"

"…someone send help! Pl.. (static)…"

* * *

 **Note**

Damnnnnnnn I love how this chap ended! I took this play off of Afe's older chaps in both this story and in specter haven! I think it meshed as good as it will and I felt like we needed another chap cause I didn't like how I wrote the last one but it was a good jump off point to start this one! Anyway, thankx for the reviews guys ill send you a pm if I haven't already from my acc and plz let me know where I can improveeee! Hit that follow / fave button if you'd like to read more! Update soon!

oh! Afe used to do this one for next chap!

 _Stay tuned for_ _ **The Devil is Alive**_

Thanks guys! – jack montero


	12. The Devil is Alive

_**The Devil is Alive**_

* * *

"We've received unconfirmed reports of a major terrorist attack on New York City. Eyewitness reports claim that giant mechanical machines landed on Manhattan Island from the sky. Since the first report, the city has experienced an island-wide communications **block-out** and so this station has been relying on reports from outside the city. The U.S. Government has sent several combat-ready battalions of the National Guard to contain the situation. We will continue to report on this developing situation."

* * *

 _In the Command Center, Alpha Base…_

Within **minutes** of the invasion, R.O.G.U.E. agents in the area quickly reported back to **Alpha Base** to report on what was going on. Director Hill quickly alerted the **Avengers** as well as Coulson on the situation and they all stood, watching as both the field and news reports were flooding in. The specialists in the room were busy analyzing each report as it came in, prioritizing the most important ones and routing those up to Hill.

Hill watched, reading the reports from her terminal, standing firm but with an expression of terror as the footage came rolling in. She felt Phil's hand touch her shoulder, as both senior leaders watched in horror.

The Avengers, on the other hand, brazened the fear from their faces and turned to **Stark** and **Rogers** for an answer. Although the two had great disagreements, the team had collectively agreed within those moments that action must be taken.

"We need to get there **right now** and save as many as we can! We need to put up some sort of defense, hit this **Reaper** a-hole at his weakest point!" Cap demanded, slamming a fist on a nearby terminal.

Stark continued to watch the reports, completely ignoring the man's words.

"If you will all excuse me," T'Challa interrupted. "I must warn my people of this developing situation. I have a feeling that this will not stop with New York. Wakanda must stand ready."

He excused himself to outside the command center.

"His majesty has a **point** ," Clint quickly spoke, his arms crossed. "Soon, **this** will be all over. We all know what this Reaper guy wants and from what I see, he's got the resources to take this across the entire **planet**."

"No, you can't be serious. I mean, that would take **millions** of those robot thingies to take over the entire planet!" Scott argued.

"We don't know what kind of capabilities those machines have. For all we know, they can duplicate," Natasha added. "Tony, what do **you** think?"

Stark continued to watch the reports, seeing the despair in the voices of the eyewitnesses and feeling his heart sink every time a report was cut off due to a loss in communication or because of the worst.

Finally, he gathered his thoughts, and turned to face them.

"We stick to the plan. You guys have a point, this crap right here," he pointed at the screens. "…isn't going to stop in New York. We're going to need a lot of help if we're going to save the **entire planet** , **again** , from whatever this psycho has cooking."

"What do you have in mind?" Dr. Strange questioned.

"I heard you guys were looking at dossiers for potential help?" Tony asked Natasha.

"Something like that. They're scattered all around. We've also got to think about the **lightning god** , Wanda, and… the **big guy**."

"I can help with that," Strange raised his hand. "I can use a few **tricks** to find Banner in the same manner I did for Peter's friends."

"Jesus, where were **you** when we needed that?" Stark sarcastically asked.

Strange shrugged.

" **Tony** , those people can't wait for us to gather our strength. We need to send help **now** ," Cap calmly pleaded with him.

Stark gave him an approving expression before turning to Hill, sarcastically asking:

"We have any word on the disappearing guy, the one-eyed former director, and the kid who prematurely gets excited through his hands?"

"We're waiting on them to report back now, Stark. The crew on the **Eidolon** claim that they're on their way to pick them up and get them out of there," she sternly answered.

"Good. You let us know the moment they do. **Nat** , I need you to get in contact with whoever we know that's still on our side in **Washington** , I want to know what the suits plan to do about this. **Clint** , get ahold of the resources we've got handy and give me a tally on that. **Strange** … find Thor, Banner, and Scarlet Witch. **Scott** , um… yeah, got nothing for you yet, pal," Tony confidently issued out orders.

"Whoa, whoa, who made **you** director?" Hill questioned.

" **I'm an Avenger**? Duh?" was his simple response. "Let's get to work, people."

* * *

 _Back at Alias Investigations_ …

The entire D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area went into lockdown at a level never before seen since **9/11**. The military was being ordered up north to handle the situation in New York City and traffic was at a standstill as people attempted to return home in fear of another attack in any of the major cities, especially **Washington**.

At Alias, Jessica had to shut off the phone lines because their office was getting calls every few seconds about someone inquiring to see if they can help them find somebody they love up in New York and to bring them safely back to D.C. or to their **doomsday bunker** out in the countryside.

"Jesus Christ, people, we're not the military here!" She angrily stated as she nearly destroyed the telephone with the call before cutting the lines.

Frank and Lucas watched the news from the television silently. They couldn't believe what was happening, especially at the magnitude that it was presenting itself.

"I can't believe it," Lucas murmured under his breath. "We all thought Reaper had just… **disappeared** … but… this?"

"Man, I've faced a lot of bad guys in my time, but I've never seen **shit** like that," Frank shook his head. "And you said this guy's an… **alternate universe** Cruz? What does that mean?"

"Well, according to him, he traveled to the future to prevent the past he went through. So, that's the explanation I'm gonna go with."

Frank shook his head.

"Jesus Christ…"

"So, what do we do **now**? The world's practically ending, and I just told our last customer to go shove it," Jessica sighed.

"Well, there's only one thing we **can** do," Frank pulled out a rifle from his black duffle bag. "The **war's** coming. I'm fixin' to go fight it."

"Um… where? That shit's happening in New York, not **here** ," Jessica argued.

"It's going to come here sooner or later, **Jones** ," Frank retorted. "From what y'all told me, this **Reaper** fucker's got his sights set on the whole of humanity. Not sure about you two, but I'm not going out without a fight."

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Castle. Don't get yourself killed out there."

"Not going to," he loaded up a magazine. "But I wouldn't mind help on y'all's part."

Jessica sighed.

"I **knew** he was going to ask for help."

* * *

 _Somewhere in Tokyo, Japan…_

After several days on the road, **Danny Rand** and his mentor, **Master Izo** , finally reached the huge urban city of **Tokyo** , in the heart of **Japan**. For the first few days, Danny preoccupied himself with meditation, helping out the sick and elderly around the city, and the occasional run-in helping a citizen from being robbed or hurt.

It was super early in the morning when Rand woke up from the increasing sounds of sirens outside. The sounds of American jets and helicopters accompanied it. Danny's initial thought was that the country was at war or that North Korea had launched another missile or something. But, as he awoke in the refuge of their small hostel, he noticed Master Izo up and about, watching the Japanese news on a small television set.

The news anchor was reporting about a growing situation in New York City, where hundreds upon thousands of destructive humanoid machines were attacking and destroying the city, but that a communications block from the machines had ceased all forms of reporting directly out of the city.

Danny's heart dropped watching this, knowing that his friend, **Peter** , was still there. He silently made a prayer that his ally was still alive, doing what he could to save the people there.

"There is nothing we can do, **Iron Fist** ," Master Izo croaked, sensing his protégé. "For now, all we can do is remain **vigilant**."

"Master Izo. I respectfully request finding transport back to the United States **immediately**. We must do what we can to help those people!" Danny pleaded.

Izo raised his hand.

"Calm, young one. Impatience is the tool for bad decisions. Of which, we will not commit today. Remain steadfast, we must. For soon, this **end of days** will befall the rest of the world."

* * *

 _In a small village town somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest…_

For weeks now, the two reality jumpers, **Phantasm** and **Grey Ghost** , traversed the Amazon Rainforest in search for a transport to New York City, where Selena's father, **Phantom** , was. Or so, she believed he was, if they were to trust the universe they ended up in.

From the looks of it, they had the right universe, but they ended up in the **wrong location**. They walked through the village town with a lot of the indigenous folk giving them weird looks because of their costumes, but paid them no attention for the most part, regarding them as simple travelers.

"We've been on the road for **weeks** now, Wren. What's the hold-up?" Selena inquired as she paid a food monger for a bag of fruits.

"We're walking on **foot** to the nearest city, Selena. It's the **Amazon** Rainforest. Not the 'small' backyard forest," Wren sarcastically answered. "Besides, we're making decent time. I think."

"Two weeks is decent time, huh?"

She took out an apple and began munching on it.

"Want one?"

"I'm good, thanks. More preoccupied finding the next road out of here and towards the capital city of… **Rio**?" Wren questioned, looking at a map he had obtained.

"Ever been?"

"I don't believe so…"

"We were there a couple realities ago. The Spanish had conquered it before the Portuguese in that one, though. It was… interesting?"

"I don't remember. Was it any different from this reality?"

"Well, everyone spoke Spanish and the soccer team sucked so badly that it never won a World Cup, I think," she answered.

They passed through what they figured was a bar before Selena stopped dead in her tracks to look at the television she had glanced from the outside.

A Brazilian news anchorwoman was reporting on a devastating invasion by giant robots on the island of Manhattan in New York. They were streaming footage that was recorded before the region-wide communications block that seemed to originate with the machines.

"Wren… the **Reaper Sentinels**. **Shiiiiiiiit** , we're **too late**!" Selena gasped.

Wren was at a lost for words as well. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

She stormed out of the bar and began pacing around the street outside. Wren followed shortly afterwards.

"Damn it. Two weeks on foot cost us valuable time, Wren!"

"Now's not the time to argue about it, Selena! If the reports are true then that means we have a few months, **weeks** at best before Reaper succeeds! We've seen this a bunch of times already! We know how to fix it!"

"Yeah, we know **how** but we never actually **have** before in the other realities! Now that we're back in the original universe, we can't afford to mess up now!"

"We won't, trust me. Let's get back on the road and get to **Rio** so that we can find a way to contact your father. It's the only way of fixing this!"

"Right. Let's go."

* * *

 _Back on Manhattan…_

The Reaper Sentinels unleashed their toxic gas upon the city, infection hundreds of thousands of people at once. With a good number of them morphed into **Wraiths** , they began to attack those that evaded infection, **violently**.

The Wraiths used disappearing/reappearing tactics to corner their prey and viciously dismember them and they didn't discriminate between man, woman, or child. Their screams and cries for help filled the city in a nightmare that refused to end.

The gas penetrated the lobby of the UN HQ building just enough for a group of civilians to be infected. Spidey sprung into action, keeping the uninfected away from the wraiths. Shooting webs back and forth, he was able to knock out a few but they just kept getting back up and rushing back to try and tear them apart.

With few options, Spidey created a **barrier** of webbing between the civilians and the growing number of wraiths that were attempting to get into the back halls of the building, past the webbing.

For the moment, the wraiths seemed confused, unable to break past the strong webbing. But, their instinctive minds began working through it, using their sharpened bone claws to start slashing back and forth against the webbing, degrading it.

Spidey reached down for another canister of webbing but was **out**.

"Shit! What a time to run out of webbing!" He exclaimed. "Everyone! Pick up whatever you can to fight back! I'm out of webs and can't fend them all by myself!"

"Spider-Man, some of us don't have fighting experience!" MJ desperately pointed out.

"You're going to have to try now! I'm **not going** to leave you guys behind! But, I can't do this on my own!" He pleaded.

Suddenly, the wraiths shifted their attention back towards the front entrance of the lobby. The gas cloud had cleared up just enough for Spidey to make out a darkened figure rush straight into the lobby. He couldn't tell **who** it was, since the webbing blurred up whatever was behind it.

Whoever it was, it was on **his** side.

The figure began swinging what appeared to be a **club** with a rope attached to it, prompting the wraiths to bull-rush him head on. But, the figure was **quick**. He seemed to know their attacks **before** they even tried to make them. While choking one of them with the rope, he threw the club at another one, causing them to fall backwards.

Spidey held his ground with the rest of the civilians, hoping that whoever was fighting these monsters on the other side wasn't going to attack them.

After what seemed like forever, the darkened figure had finished off the wraiths that were in the lobby. It turned to stare directly through the webbing, before running off towards another part of the building.

Peter's heart was beating at a rapid pace, unsure of what kind of being he was about to face off with.

They all heard a window shatter in the top floors and this prompted Spidey to run towards the main staircase to the second level within the lobby, which was part of the section of the lobby that he had webbed off behind his barrier.

He came face to face with a black and red suited character. He had white skin in the part that was visible but he wore a mask that covered his whole head except for his mouth and chin. The mask had red **devil-like** eyes and horns sticking out of the top of it.

"Holy **shit** , the **Devil of Hell's Kitchen** …" Spidey gasped, raising his fists.

" **Spider-Man** , right?" He responded, his voice average but tired-sounding.

"Yep, that's me. Jesus, man, I don't know what I would've done in here without your help out there."

"Not a good time for anyone when there's murdering robots and zombies attacking everyone. I sense more people here. Are they safe?"

"For the most part. What's going on out there?"

" **Destruction**. Some of the police have sectioned off refuge centers on the edges of Manhattan and the outer boroughs of the city. I'm helping to take as many there as possible. Glad I found you when I did."

"No kidding. Where's the nearest one?"

"In the docks behind this building. The bulk of the attack is towards the center near Central Park and Time's Square. Those places got hit the worst. So, we're relatively safe all things considering. Come on, let's get these people out of here."

Both **Daredevil** and **Spider-Man** rushed the civilians out of the building and hugging the edge of the streets closely as the two of them protected the group from getting attacked by wraiths or any sentinels.

By the time they reached the small police-holdout on the East River, they got back up from some police and National Guardsmen. They ushered the civilians down to a subway station underground where the **refuge** center was located. Hundreds of more people were down there, fearing for their lives.

Spidey, Daredevil, and MJ remained topside to talk to the police and army commanders that were there.

"Is this it?" MJ questioned. "This refuge center is supposed to hold out against those **things**?"

"We're waiting on reinforcements to arrive, but they're having trouble both getting here and communicating with us. Apparently there are beings up in the airspace keeping any jets or choppers from entering the area as well as something keeping the boats at bay in the waters surrounding the island," the army commander answered.

"We're stuck here, in a nutshell," the police commander added.

"Spider-Man, do you know if the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. is coming to back us up?" the army commander then asked.

All of them looked at him, expecting an answer, but he honestly didn't know. He was told to rendezvous with Fury and Phantom at the downed Quinjet at the docks closest to the UN HQ building. He glanced over at the waterfront and could make out the shape of a downed aircraft on a docks a few blocks up the road.

"I don't have an answer for you guys, I'm sorry, I don't know. I do know that we're going to do everything in our power to help you guys out, the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., R.O.G.U.E., everybody, that I can **promise** you!"

"Is there anyone else here that can help?" Daredevil questioned.

"Nick Fury and the Phantom are just up this road at that downed Quinjet! They told me to go meet up with them, I assume they're planning to escape through there and get help!"

" **Good**. I'll follow you there, then and we can figure this out," Daredevil assured him.

"I'm going too," MJ spoke up.

"Ma'am, I'm going to ask that you go back in the station with the rest of the civi-…" the army commander tried to stop her.

"I'm not a civilian. I'm a reporter. And **somebody's** gotta get the news out to the world. Right, Spidey?" She quickly snapped.

"Right!" He agreed. "Let's go, before it's too late!"

With that, the three of them rushed up the road. MJ stuck close to the sidewalk closest to the river in-case more Wraiths popped up from the streets perpendicular to the one they were on. As they got closer, they realized that the entire area was about to get swarmed by wraiths incoming from all sides.

* * *

 _On Reaper's Flag-Ship…_

"We've nearly seized the entire island of Manhattan, my master. Shall we proceed to sending the next wave to the capital?" Moros questioned from inside the "bridge" of the ship.

Reaper sat on a steel-throne-like chair, watching out in a glass panel that over looked the city below. His left hand rested on the armrest while his right grasped the pommel of his sword as it continued to point towards.

"Wait until the entirety of the island has been secured. Then proceed."

* * *

 **Note**

Another chap down, guys! Whooo, I'm on a roll, haha! XD Seriously, tho, thank u for the reviews! Plz, plz, plz let me know if I misspelled something or something's out of grammar so I can fix it. If there's something off about the content too, plz point that out and we can talk about it.

Thanks again guys! I'll try to post up another chap soon! =) – Jack Montero


	13. Leaving New York City

_**Leaving New York City**_

* * *

 _Somewhere over Long Island, on-board The Eidolon…_

"Got-damn! The turbo speed on this baby is **crazy**!" Wolfe howled, sharply turning The Eidolon back and forth, dodging distant beam attacks from the sentinels that landed on Long Island.

"Just stick to keeping us afloat, bro!" Firewalker suggested, gripping the **oh-shit** bar that was conveniently placed in the cockpit. "Don't crash now!"

"Yeeeeehaw!"

Wolfe shifted the entire cruiser to the left to avoid another column of energy that a nearby sentinel shot off in an attempt to shoot them down.

Fox appeared at doorway of the cockpit.

"Wolfe, can you fly straight for once?!" She angrily asked, gripping on the doorway to avoid falling on her side. "This is a **huge ship** , not a small jet!"

"Yeah, yeah, quit yer' yappin', woman, I'll get us there," Wolfe scoffed.

Seconds later he felt the sharp edge of Fox's katana against his throat.

"You're going to **fly us straight** , Wolfe! **Not** like a madman!"

"I got it, I got it," he sighed.

She sheathed her katana and marched off back into the command center of the cruiser.

" **Killjoy**."

* * *

 _At the docks near the UN HQ building…_

Phantom and Fury got through to the edge of the docks, where a Quinjet had crashed landed onto a small fleet of civilian boats. It looked like it got shot down. Next to the Quinjet were two **S.H.I.E.L.D.** armored agents, one of them was bleeding badly from his thigh.

As the two of them approached, the agent tending to the other's wounds instinctively raised a pistol at them.

"Who goes there!?"

"Stand down, son!" Fury ordered, both he and Phantom training their pistols at them.

"N-Nick Fury?"

The agent lowered his firearm, allowing the two of them to approach the agents.

"What's the situation here, agent?"

"It's…it's bad, sir. We were caught off-guard by those damn machines and my co-pilot got the worst of it."

The co-pilot was silent, trying to grunt off the pain in his leg.

"Where is **Director Sitwell**?" Phantom curiously inquired.

"We were part of his escort off Manhattan. He ordered three heli-carriers to draw the attention off his tri-carrier while he escaped out towards the ocean. They didn't last long," the agent sighed.

"Is the rest of the agency sending reinforcements?"

The agent looked out towards the upper bay.

"There was supposed to be a small fleet of heli-carriers stationed out there. They should've been here by now to help!"

Fury placed a hand on the young agent's shoulder.

"Don't worry, son, we'll get you out of here," he assured him.

"T-Thank you, sir."

"Now, is the communicator on that Quinjet still functioning?"

"It is, sir. I called out for help but nobody from S.H.I.E.L.D. is responding. I did pick up frequencies from the National Guard, though."

Fury crawled up into the Quinjet while Phantom stood guard, watching the entrance to the docks. He began sensing several beings approaching their location.

He heard Fury call on **_The_** **_Eidolon_** and transmit their exact location. He crawled back out and tossed a rifle from the Quinjet to Phantom.

"Best dig in, Cruz. Our friends won't be the only ones to see that transmission."

Within minutes, they heard loud disembodied screeching coming from the entrance of the docks. They watched in horror as a horde of **wraiths** began to approach them, walking in a nightmarish zombie-like manner.

"W-What are those things?!" Fury questioned.

" **Wraiths** ," Phantom answered. "Reaper repurposed the **Vitruvian serum** to create crude specters from human beings."

"Can bullets stop them?!"

"I hope so,"

They took cover and began shooting off in the wraiths' direction. Once the wraiths acknowledged the threat, they began sprinting towards their direction at full speed, disappearing for seconds at a time to throw off their aim and make them virtually unpredictable.

Phantom quickly dispatched as many as he could before they got too close for a rifle shot. He swiftly withdrew his sword and disappeared into action, swinging his sword back and forth like a bloody wheelhouse to cut down as many wraiths as he could.

One of them pounced on him out of thin air, pushed him down on his back, and began gnawing at his electric bracer, which he used to shield his chest.

With no hesitation, Phantom supercharged the bracer and electrified the wraith dead.

"God damn it, Cruz, get up!" Fury ordered as he covered for him, firing back at another wave of them.

Phantom got back to his feet and reloaded the rifle and continued to fire back.

"They just won't back down! How much longer until the **Eidolon** shows up!?"

"Not long now!"

* * *

 _Back at Alpha Base…_

While R.O.G.U.E. scrambled to get dedicated heli-carriers en-route to Manhattan to help evacuate the citizens, the **Avengers** worked on their end to find abled bodied individuals to help them bring the fight to **Reaper** and his forces. With **Specter Haven** 's status unknown, they had to compile an emergency plan that **Stark** headed up.

Both Director Hill and Tony Stark stood, watching the large theater-sized map monitor in the middle of the command center, watching red blips appear in apparent explosion patterns as more and more of these sentinel machines landed on Earth.

"I don't understand what we can do to stop an **invasion** , Tony," Hill quietly told him.

The billionaire simply continued staring at the map, his hand at his chin.

"Do you have **any** ideas at all?"

"A few," he finally answered, pressing his communicator in his ear to talk to his A.I.

" **Friday** , darlin', I need you to draw me up the specs on the algorithm we used to create **Ultron**."

"Wait, **what**?!" Hill questioned. " **Ultron**? Do you have **any** idea what…"

" **Yes** , the formula we used to create **Ultron** was **bad** but not **completely** useless," he cut her off to explain. "I don't know about **Reaper** but if this nutcase is using robotic machines as his army, there's ways to disarm the **entire** force in the same manner Ultron used to control his own private army of machines."

She began to see what he was trying to do.

"But, even if you **were** to engineer the algorithm to help us, how would you even transmit that signal into those things?"

"Already ahead of you," he snapped his fingers and a gauntlet from his Iron Man suit mechanically gloved his hand and projected a hologram from the palm beam.

It was the image of what appeared to be some sort of **bomb**. It had two giant pulsating rods on either end of a large cylindric shaped device.

"W-what is that?"

"This is what the history techies like to call a **Super Electrode**. It's a concept that my old man drew up back when he worked on the Manhattan Project. It has the ability to mass-transmit electromagnetic pulses of varying frequencies across **entire** continents all at once. This thing can shut off the entirety of the United States and leave us living in blackout for years. Think giant EMP device.

"And you want to use **that**?"

"I want to reverse-engineer it to target the specific tech holed up in those machines to turn them off for good," Stark affirmed to her. "Of course, **not** send us back to the stone age while we're at it."

She understood its importance and with a man as intellectual as Stark, she knew that this would make defeating Reaper much easier. And, it would appear to be their only logical choice.

"Alright, so what's the problem? You have access to the Ultron algorithim, **but**?"

He sighed.

"My old man designed this machine for the **government**. None of the blueprints he kept in the company. The suits in **Washington** deemed the design obsolete since the nuclear bomb is conventionally **'better'**. From what I remember, the design is still in a private server at the National Archives in D.C."

Hill turned to her specialists working the reports out of Washington.

"Can we send a team to pick up that design out of the National Archives?" She sternly asked.

"None of our agents are within range, director. The city's population is being partially evacuated and the agents are being routed to other priorities."

"I want this to be our **#1 priority**!" She slammed her fist on the nearby table. "Send whatever bodies we can to the archives to get that device blueprint!"

Unbeknownst to Hill or Stark, one of the specialists at the command center listened in to the whole conversation. She turned her attention to a hidden communicator and began quietly talking.

"Boss, I've **new information** to pass along to S.H.I.E.L.D. Tell them it's **urgent**."

* * *

 _Back at the docks…_

Phantom & Fury continued to hold their ground against the wraiths for as long as they could. The S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot that was still able to move joined in on the fight and used his pistol to fire back.

"Miss me yet, guys?!" A familiar voice shouted from across the docks.

They looked up to see Spidey run into the scene, diving forward and throwing a whole bunch of the wraiths off the docks into the water. Behind him, what Phantom quickly identified as **Daredevil** ran with his club and split it into two, knocking several wraiths out and clearing a path for **MJ** to run into safety behind Phantom and Fury.

"About time you show up, kid!" Fury shouted. "We were beginning to think you were dead!"

"Well, **you** were. **I** knew he was still alive," Phantom retorted.

"Who the **hell** is **that** guy?!" Fury questioned, referring to Daredevil.

"It's the **Devil of Hell's Kitchen** , Nick! Who else could it be?!" Spidey joked.

Daredevil smirked as he swung his club against the temple of another incoming wraith.

Fury rolled both his eyes.

"Are you doing okay?" Phantom asked MJ between switching magazines.

"There's robots invading the city! I'd say I'm doing okay all things considered!"

"Don't worry, we're going to make sure we stop this!" He assured her.

Suddenly, another giant wave of wraiths appeared at the entrance to the docks. They seemed to be never-ending, continuously coming in without end.

"Damn it, I'm out of rounds!" Fury exclaimed, withdrawing his sidearm to shoot.

"Me too!" Phantom discarded his rifle and withdrew his sword. "God damn it, wish they would **hurry** up!"

They prepared for the next wave to charge at them, but right before the wraiths had a chance to attack…

 **BOOM!**

A massive explosion charred them all into oblivion as a massive ship swiftly flew overhead, _**The Eidolon**_.

"The cavalry has arrived, y'all!" Firewalker's voice echoed through their communicators.

Phantom glimpsed the sleek black design of the ship sharply turn to open up its front-ramp, exposing its lower-level. **Fox** and several R.O.G.U.E. agents walked towards the edge of the ramp from the inside to help them inside.

" **Let's go**!" Phantom ordered.

Spidey helped MJ on-board the ship and Fox reached out and grabbed Phantom's hand, propping him up.

"It's good to see you alive, **tonto!** " she smirked with one of her katanas withdrawn.

"Thanks."

He turned to see a pair of R.O.G.U.E. agents help Daredevil and the S.H.I.E.L.D. pilots up the ramp but saw that Fury was refusing to get on-board.

"Fury, come on! We've got to go!" Phantom approached the edge of the ramp.

The former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. merely shook his head, glancing back at the onslaught of smoke and fire burning through the city streets.

"I **can't** , Cruz. See those men out there? They need a **leader** to pull them through this fight! With the world going to shit, they're **not** going to make it if I can't help them!"

"Damn it, Nick! Stop trying to be a hero! What are we supposed to do without you?!" Spidey lended his voice to the argument. "Phantom risked his neck out to save your butt from S.H.I.E.L.D., we can't lose you again now!"

"I know, kid. But, this is where I'm going to make my stand. You've both **got** to get back in contact with **Hill** , **Coulson** , and the rest of **R.O.G.U.E.** We need the **Avengers** and **anyone** else that's willing to help us out in the fight. Soon enough, this will be **all over** the world."

Phantom calmly held his head low, knowing this for a fact. Daredevil acknowledged it too. His help was better placed with them for the moment.

" **No**! Fury, you get your ass up here, right now!" Spidey demanded before Phantom placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him to stop.

"He's right, Peter," Phantom calmly sighed. " **Good luck, Fury**. Don't get killed out there."

"You too, Cruz. And you hang in there, Parker. Don't lose your mind just yet."

Spidey simply nodded.

Phantom turned around and walked up the ramp with Spidey and Daredevil. He stopped to face the outside once more as _**The Eidolon**_ slowly gained altitude. Fury saluted them off before running up the docks and towards the street.

Coming up around where the refuge center was, Phantom and Spidey saw two helicopters from the Army show up to try and evacuate citizens off the island. They watched a couple and a small girl board one of the UH-60 Black Hawks.

In horror, they saw a giant building-sized sentinel locate the refuge center and begin targeting them. The soldiers and policemen were too busy helping people onto the helicopter to notice. The sentinel charged up its right hand's energy beam as the helicopters took off. It shot down one and then the second one before it completely decimated the refuge center.

Phantom closed his eyes and balled his fists in anger.

In his head, he began to hear screams, **familiar screams** of his hated rival's ambience.

* * *

 _In a dark, isolated realm resembling that of a dark corner in space…_

"Leaving so soon, **Phantom**?" Reaper's voice echoed across the dreamscape.

His dark presence emerged into existence in front of Phantom.

"You…. You **son-of-a-bitch** ," Phantom subtly stated in anger. "This **fight** is between **you** and **me**. These people are **innocent**! Why have you dragged them into this?!"

Reaper made a small sigh as he began pacing around Phantom.

"Still, you **don't understand** the purpose behind all of this. I didn't want **any** of this to happen, Phantom, but it **must**. It **needs to**. Millions of lives were lost at **Genosha** as the mutant race fell to humanity. Can't you see? I'm **rectifying** the damages caused to **me**. To **us** ," Reaper calmly pleaded.

"I'm **not** you. I'm **not** a **murderer**. And, no matter what you say, I won't let you destroy this world for your vengeance. I'll sacrifice my life if I have to."

Reaper chuckled.

"If that is what you want, then so be it. But, I won't kill you until this is all set in stone. Your death will cause my own, and I want to make sure my work is complete before doing so. Just as it is **foretold**."

"You're dillusional. **I will** return to end your reign, Reaper. And I'll make sure you pay for every single life you've ruined. **I swear it**."

Reaper stopped pacing and looked out into the horizon of stars beyond.

"We shall see…"

* * *

 _Back on The Eidolon…_

" **Phantom** , are you okay?" Fox softly inquired, snapping him out of the dreamscape.

"Yes, I'm… I'm fine, Fox. Thank you."

"Alright. We've got to get inside, before we fly out of here."

She ushered them all inside as the ramp closed behind them with the ship in mid-air. Using its advanced stealth technology, it cloaked itself as it quickly sped through the skies to escape New York.

As the ship did so, it passed by a graveyard of S.H.I.E.L.D. heli-carriers sinking in the lower bay. The sentinels had destroyed them before they were even able to assist in helping to evacuate the city.

This defined Reaper's strength, as he now possessed an army capable of taking down S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strongest ships by barely lifting a finger. They all knew that they were going to need a miracle to help save Manhattan, and the world, from the threat that had finally arrived on Earth.

* * *

 **MESSAGE INCOMING FROM DIRECTOR HILL, MARIA FROM R.O.G.U.E. HEADQUARTERS ON ALPHA BASE…**

 _ **TRANSMITTING…**_

(Static)

"P-P-Phantom, are you t-t-there?! This is… (static)… Hill! Reaper's forces hav…(static)… -des-des-destroyed the New York City area!...(static)… **no possible way** of defeating…. (static)… without a way…(static)…disable his robotic army! (static)…Head to the National Archives (static)… Washington D.C.! Find the… (continued static)… **Super Electrode** (static)… design plans! May be the (continued static)… to defeat those bastards!...contact me after doing so! Hill out!"

* * *

 **Notes**

Hey my dudes, sorry for the late chap. Had a lot goin on for me these past few days. My grandma's not doing so good and well… we're not expectin her to make it past this week so I'm bracign for the worst to happen. But, I wanted this chap up before the end of the week, so plz enjoy! Hit that follow/fave button if you wanna read more! Thanks!


	14. A National Archive

_**A National Archive…**_

* * *

The news reports hit globally and soon every nation began prepping emergency procedures in the event that the threat in **New York** arrived at their borders. With their ambassadors in the **United Nations** killed in the attack, the leaders of nations had to directly communicate with each other to create an action plan.

The American government quickly dispersed military assets and resources to New York and the governor of the state declared a state of emergency and ordered an evacuation of all the urban areas surrounding the New York City area. With **no** communications inside or out of Manhattan Island, they were running out of options to resolve this with little bloodshed.

Reaper's forces severed all forms of transport onto Manhattan Island, keeping his **wraiths** within the island for the most part. However, as the hours passed by, he ordered the **Reaper Sentinels** on Long Island and Jersey to begin unleashing the **"Vitruvian Destiny"** beyond the island and infecting hundreds of thousands more.

 **S.H.I.E.L.D.'s** efforts to evacuate the citizens were in vain, as their heli-carriers were shot down with ease. The **U.S. Navy** fared no better, as their own battleships were decimated at the Naval Base on Staten Island.

The whole world watched in horror as one of its greatest cities fell to darkness in a matter of hours following the devastating attack.

Without hesitation, **Reaper** ordered **Aeolus** and **Titan** to begin the assault on **Washington D.C.** as another wave of **Reaper Sentinels** prepared to deploy from **Asteroid M**.

* * *

 _On-board the Command Platform at Alpha Base…_

 **Dr. Strange** used his mystical arts to locate **Wanda** **Maximoff** , **Bruce Banner** , as well as **Thor**. From what it appeared, **Wanda** was somewhere in **Brazil** , which correlates with the last sightings of her after her disappearance in the attack months prior. **Bruce** was hiding somewhere in **Japan** and **Thor** was seemingly **outside** the realm but **within** Earth's boundaries. Strange wasn't sure what to think of it.

With **Director Hill** ordering **Specter Haven** to retrieve the **Super Electrode** plans from the National Archive, **Phil Coulson** directed a contingent of R.O.G.U.E. heli-carriers to standby to deploy to possible sites of invasion around the globe.

What Coulson termed as **Operation: Salvation** , the entire renegade group pooled in all available resources and called in all the favors they've gained over their short existence to concentrate on **saving people**. The plan was to evacuate as many as possible and transport them to **Alpha Base** , where they would open up two whole platforms and dedicate those to housing and sheltering refugees. With the location of the base being a **"well-kept" secret** (or so they would believe), they trusted it to be the most secure location to keep the people.

In a correlating campaign, **Operation: World Defense** , R.O.G.U.E. would work side-by-side with the **Avengers** to disrupt **Reaper Sentinel forces** around the world should they start attacking high-value sites like nuclear missile silos and other stockpiles of weaponry.

With the entirety of Alpha Base boomed with activity, not a **single** agent was asleep or idle. Everyone was doing something. Whether it was prepping food storages, reloading the cannons on a heli-carrier, or simply helping each other with these tasks, R.O.G.U.E. was ready and willing to face what was next.

Between meetings with the technical experts who were going to help him build the **Super Electrode** , Stark encountered **Cap** in the corridors of the base.

"So, when were you going to tell the rest of us that you were going to use the **Ultron** algorithm on these machines, Tony?" Cap sternly questioned.

"Whoa, where'd you come from?" Stark looked around, speaking sarcastically. "Look, I don't have time to talk to you about this. Got more important stuff to do. Save the world. Again. That sort of thing."

Tony tried walking past him but Cap raised his arm to block him.

"Tony. You and I **both** know what happened the last time you thought something was a good idea. You created **Ultron**. You forced the **Sokovia Peace Accords**."

"I helped create **Vision** , didn't I? And where were you when this maniac **Sitwell** took over S.H.I.E.L.D., hmm? Escape to **Wakanda** , right? Shag up with your buddy **Bucky**? While the rest of us had **real world** problems to deal with?"

Cap crossed his arms.

"Bucky wasn't himself when he killed your parents, Tony. That **wasn't** him."

"Look, **whatever**. We've got bigger problems to worry about. But, **don't pretend** like the **Avengers** is still this happy after-school club. I'm here because they need **Iron Man**. You should be asking yourself if they need **Captain America** too, old man."

With that, Tony shoved past Cap and left him without words.

"I think the world needs much more than **Captain America** right now," he calmly told himself.

* * *

 _At a remote refueling station out a few star-jumps from Earth's Solar System…_

"No, no, no, **you** listen to me, you bumbling heap of crap!" Peter Quill argued with the fueling depot alien rep who was refusing to accept artifacts as payment. "This, do you **know** what **this** is? Do you know how much it's **worth**?"

The alien angrily responded in a foreign language.

 **Rocket** , standing tall with his arms crossed, acted as translator for Quill.

"He said he doesn't care **how much** it is. No units, no fuel," he sighed.

While those three argued, **Drax** and **Gamora** tided up the _Milano_ , fixing damages done to the craft by a horde of galactic bounty hunters they had faced on their way there.

 **Groot** sat next to **Nova** in the waiting lobby on the station, the both of them watching Quill and Rocket practically verbally abuse the fuel station rep at the front counter.

"Well, this is just **great**. It's been about **2** Earth weeks and we're still several space-jumps from the Solar System. This… this is great," Nova complained.

"I am Groot," Groot shrugged.

"I know, I know. It doesn't help that this prick isn't accepting the artifacts we 'acquired'."

"I **am** Groot," Groot nodded.

There was a sector broadcast with a Xandarian reporter talking about a "developing situation" coming out of Planet Earth. They briefly described what was an **invasion** by unknown **mechanical** forces upon the native human beings. Footage from the ground depicted what Nova quickly identified as **Reaper** landing an army of humanoid machines on New York City.

"What. The. **Fuck**."

The report was brief, as there were far more pressing outer worldly events going on in the galaxy, but this quickly upset Nova.

"Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit," Nova panicked, getting up and pacing back and forth.

" **I am Groot**."

"Groot! Man! That's my planet getting invaded, man! Shit! That asshole prick son-of-a-bitch **Reaper** finally done did it! Damn it! I knew we were going to be late!"

"Hey! You better have units to put in that damn swear jar, Nova!" Rocket shouted from the front desk. "We could use it over here!"

"They're invading my planet, **Rocket**!" Nova pointed out. " **Reaper** done did it now!"

"The prick with the **two Infinity Gems** , right?" Quill questioned.

Nova nodded.

" **Shit**." Rocket stamped, looking at Quill, who returned the glance.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Well, we **are** running out of time here," Rocket shrugged.

"My thoughts exactly."

Almost in perfect timing, they both pulled out blaster pistols and aimed it at the fueling depot rep, who raised all his arms in fear.

"We're adding **armed robbery** to our list, my man. 5000 units worth of fuel, please." Quill smirked.

* * *

 _On-board The Eidolon…_

 **Wolfe** flew the ship away from the coastline and closer out into the Atlantic as they flew towards **Washington D.C.** The R.O.G.U.E. specialists on-board picked up orders from the FAA to ground and suspend every scheduled flight until further notice. In effect, military jets scrambled across the skies to raise their state of readiness to an all-time high.

In the cockpit, two navigators helped Wolfe chart out a flight path towards a safe drop-off point within the capital. **Firewalker** stood beside Wolfe and was learning how to pilot the ship from the phantom hunter himself, who had figured out that the pilot controls were almost identical to _The Eidolon, Mark I_. So, it wasn't that hard to figure out for him.

After departing from New York, **Phantom** stormed off to his room on the living quarters deck. Realizing that he needed some time to himself, **Fox** waited a bit before going to check on him.

She softly knocked on the steel sliding door of his room.

"Phantom, are you in there?" She kindly asked. "Just thought I'd check on you."

Without an answer, the door slid open, revealing him sitting down at the foot of a queen-sized bed, which indicated the room's importance as commander of the ship. Most of the other ones on the ship were smaller, twin-sized beds.

He had his hood off and his masked face planted in his hands, seemingly **devastated** from the events that he experienced on Manhattan.

She approached him calmly and knelt in front of him.

"What's wrong? Besides the obvious, that is."

"I… I didn't want this to happen," he sternly answered, removing his face from his hands and continuously staring down to the floor.

"Nearly **three years** ago, when my entire existence was a powerful cell in a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in the middle of the jungle, I **never** would have imagined this pattern of events to occur. And above all else, the last thing I ever wanted was anyone innocent to be killed. Now, there's an **entire city** being destroyed. And, God knows how many more will fall."

Fox stood up and sat next to him.

" **None** of this has been your fault, Phantom. We did what we could. **Nobody** , and I mean **nobody** would've predicted Reaper to have had this up his sleeve!" Fox confidently told him.

"I had an **idea** of what he was capable of. I just thought we had more time. We could've done something, Fox. We could've been proactive, we could've come up with a strategy, we could've…"

" **Everything** we're doing **right now** is what's important. We can't waste our time on what could've happened, we have to concentrate on what **has** to happen **now** ," Fox hushed him.

He slowly nodded, glancing over at her.

"I suppose. Thank you for your insight, Fox."

"Don't mention it, **tonto**. We can't let you lose your head right now."

He subtly chuckled.

"I apologize. How's the team holding up?" He respectfully inquired.

"Good, good. Wolfe tried to run out of the ship once one of those giant machines showed up to try and take it down himself. We had to drag him back in before he got himself killed. Drake's taking it pretty easy. I think he just wants to see an end to all this before more people die."

"I see. And how are **you** holding up?"

"Me? Well, don't worry about me. No issues on my part."

" **Really**?" He sarcastically asked. "Seriously, Fox. How are you doing?"

She let her guard down.

"It's… it's horrible what's going on, Phantom. I keep thinking about my dojo in Chicago, my brother Ani. I'm worried that Chicago will be next. I… I don't know."

He placed a hand on her knee in assurance.

"Don't worry, Fox. We'll do everything in our power to save him, everyone. **I'll** make sure he's safe."

She looked at him with confidence, briefly smiling.

"I believe you, tonto. No need to convince me."

"Well, just making sure."

"Above all else, honestly, I'm worried about **you**."

"Me?"

"I obviously don't know your future. I don't even know my own but, I can't predict yours. And **that** worries me."

"What has your power of **foresight** predicted for the fate of this invasion?" He inquired.

She sighed.

" **Death**. **Destruction**. A lot of people are going to die. There's no way around that. But, I don't know how this all ends. I don't think I want to know. Too many shifting elements at hand."

Phantom merely nodded.

"Tell me something, Phantom."

"Yes?"

"You're not willing to sacrifice yourself over this, are you? If it's true… if killing Reaper ends up killing **you** …"

"There is **no other** solution, Fox. If my death saves **billions** , then that's a price I'm willing to pay."

"But, you've got the rest of your life to live."

" **What life** , Fox? Phantom is the shell of a man that died years ago. It'd be nice to finally put this soul to rest."

She understood what he meant but didn't want to believe he was ready to surrender his life like that. Regardless, it was too soon for her to say anything to him about how she felt. Unbeknownst to her, Phantom was starting to pick up on her questions more closely, with everyone joking about her being his girlfriend. He began to notice her subtle affection.

He didn't mind it at all.

* * *

 _In the hangar deck on-board The Eidolon…_

Firewalker took the lift down to meet up with **Spidey** , **Daredevil** , and **MJ** , who were all sitting down in the hangar deck, where various ground vehicles were parked in the event they needed to use them.

"So, **Spider-Man**?" MJ questioned Peter. "That explains **a whole lot** , Peter."

"I hope it does. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys earlier it was just… it was a lot to handle with everything going on. I didn't want my enemies to find out who I am, all that crap. You know, the cliché stuff. I'm surprised nobody's figured it out by now with all the technology now."

" **Please** , don't apologize. It's pretty kick ass that you're the coolest superhero in New York! No offense, **Daredevil**."

"None taken." He grinned. "I prefer laying low, but. Right now, I wish I could've stayed. When those damn things showed up, I **had** to do something, you know?"

They nodded in agreement.

"We've got **a lot** of work to do before we can get a chance at ripping that stupid helmet off Reaper's stupid head, y'all feel me?" Firewalker confidently informed them. "I want first dibs on doing so."

They all agreed.

"So, is it true that the **Devil of Hell's Kitchen** is **blind**?" Peter curiously asked, almost hesitant to do so.

Daredevil grinned ear to ear. He hadn't removed his mask at all while he spoke to them. It made sense, as he had just met them, but the rumors were still there.

"Where'd you hear **that**?" He replied.

" **Around** ," Spidey lied.

"Ha, alright. Well, **yes** , I am legally blind. Chemical truck accident as a kid seared my eyes useless. I fight using my senses of hearing, touching, and smell. Some old man named **Stick** taught me how to fight. And, well, here I am."

" **Whoa**. That's some real cool **shit** , bro," Firewalker awed.

" **Wait**. Back at the UN Headquarters, how did you know it was me?" Spidey questioned.

"I've 'heard' you fight before, web-head. That and I could sense a barrier between you and me and I've encountered your web-barriers before. Who else in New York does that?"

"He's got a point," MJ agreed.

"So, what does the **Devil of Hell's Kitchen** do when he's not out blind-ninja fighting bad guys?" Firewalker then jokingly asked.

"With **New York** on fire, I'm not sure these days. But, if we're still alive after all this is over, I can refer you guys to a **pretty good lawyer**."

"That means he's a lawyer, guys," Firewalker whispered to MJ and Peter.

After a little more conversation on **Daredevil's** origins, Firewalker took him up to the command and control deck to show him what their next steps are as far as what R.O.G.U.E. ordered them to do next. He wasn't a fan of the plan, wishing he had stayed instead of leaving, but he offered them his full help.

MJ and Peter stayed in the hangar bay to talk.

"So, since you're **Spider-Man** , I assume **Ava** knew about that too, huh?"

He faintly smiled.

"Funny you mention that. She was actually the **White Tiger**."

"What, **really**?! Jeez, Peter, how many more people at our school were superheroes?!"

"You'd be surprised. But, I'll let you figure that one out on your own," he shrugged.

He finished explaining to her how **exactly** he got his powers and how he's been struggling losing the team that Fury had assigned him to two years ago after helping **Phantom** out. He briefly explained that whole situation to her as well, but MJ understood well enough.

"I'm really **sorry** , Pete. I really didn't know…"

"Don't stress it, MJ. It's nice to have someone who knows, at least."

Just then, she realized that **Harry** was still in D.C. She urged him to find a way to pick him up and rushed up to the command and control center to see if she can get a signal out to him to contact him.

* * *

 _In the streets of Washington D.C…._

It took some convincing, but **Lucas** was able to get **Jessica** on-board to go help **Frank Castle** defend D.C. in the event the invasion in New York arrived to the nation's capital, which, they all had a really good hunch about it coming their way.

Frank commandeered a **black van** with an arsenal of weaponry inside of it. Rocket launchers, machine guns, grenades, pistols, knives, you name it, he had it.

"Um, do you have permits for all this?" Jessica questioned, looking at all of them.

"Yeah, I've got **this** ," Frank pointed at the skull imprint on the front of his black flak jacket. " **This** is my **permit**."

As Frank drove the black van, Lucas and Jessica followed close behind in his **1969 Pontiac GTO**. Luckily for them, the GTO came equipped with a siren in the event they needed to cut through traffic, so they made good time getting through the ridiculously dead-locked traffic to cut right into the heart of the D.C. Metropolitan area.

"Got any ideas where you want to hold up, Frank? Can't believe you're dragging us into this," Lucas called out on their radio.

"Quit your complaining, **'Power Man'**. Yeah, we're going to the **National Mall**. I've got a feeling that's where those **fucks** are going to hit first," Frank barked back.

Jessica rolled her eyes.

Nearly half an hour later, they arrived at the National Mall. Which, to their surprise, was **packed** with people. Several groups of all forms showed up to help people make contact with their loved ones up in New York affected by the threat and others were protesting their forced evacuation of Washington.

Frank parked the black van in front of the **Hirshorn Museum** on **Jefferson Drive** , on the other side of the Mall facing the **National Archives**.

 **The Punisher** got out of the van and marched to the back of the van to open up his mini-armory and started scouting around for a vantage point to perch himself up.

Lucas got out of his car and ran over to shut the van.

"Jesus, Frank! Do you want to get us arrested out here?! **Not yet**! There's no **threat** here yet!" He quietly shouted to him.

"Well shit, I'm sorry, are we supposed to just sit around and wait to get slaughtered like **cattle**!? Get out of my way!" Frank shoved him off the van and opened it back up and pulled out an **M40** sniper rifle.

"I **told** you this was a bad idea," Jessica grunted, sitting on the hood of Lucas' Pontiac. "Oh look, here comes DC's finest."

A police cruiser pulled up next to Frank's van. Lucas quickly shut the van doors.

A cop got out and approached the group but Frank didn't care, he kept his sniper rifle in hand.

Before the cop even said anything, he withdrew his pistol and trained it on **Castle**.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Put that rifle down, sir! I'm warning you!" The young cop shouted, pulling his radio and calling for back up to his location.

"Listen, kid, you put that pea-shooter away before you hurt yourself. You saw those giant machines attack New York, right? Those things are coming this way and you're going to **want** me on your side here," Frank tried to reason with him while loading up a magazine of 7.62 rounds into the M40.

"I'm not going to warn you again, sir! I **will shoot**! Put your weapon down!"

Frank rolled his eyes and slowly lowered the rifle onto the ground.

"Now get on the ground! Get on the ground!" The cop barked.

Lucas and Jessica slowly backed away once they realized Frank wasn't following orders.

"Get on the ground, sir! **I will shoot!** "

Frank slowly started approaching the cop, taking off his coat and unraveling his **black flak jacket** and the assortment of ammo strapped on it.

The cop's eyes widened when he realized who he was.

Castle approached to the point he pressed the gun against his forehead.

"Stop yapping and start **doing**. You going to shoot? **Fucking shoot!** "

The cop nervously shook at this point, glancing around to wait for back-up. The sirens were in the distance, slowly closing in.

In a split-second decision, Frank stepped his right leg forward, behind the cop's right leg and **leg-swept** him, forcing the cop to fall on his back, and disarming his pistol from him.

"You're going to have to **balls-up** real soon, son," Frank leaned down and helped the cop back up, handing his pistol back to him.

"Y-you're **The Punisher**!" the young cop pointed out.

"Yeah, and you're a **cop**. So go out there and start getting these people out of here. Shit's about to hit the fan!"

Lucas and Jessica watched from the sidewalk as those two were talking things out.

" **That** was unnecessarily dramatic," Jessica sighed.

The cop turned and walked away, but the sirens were still ranging on in the background. The sense of **mass hysteria** over the situation in New York was spreading like wildfire across the city. They didn't even bother to check the news. What's the use?

"Alright, so I have a few ideas on locations we can entrench ourselves at. The important thing is getting these people out of here, though, so…" Frank started to describe, but suddenly…

A giant cruiser-like ship appeared over the darkening skies. It had what they all believed to be the **R.O.G.U.E.** hawk insignia on one of the wings and _**The Eidolon**_ _**M-2**_ titled on its side.

"What the hell?" Frank trained the rifle on the ship. "Friendlies?"

"Eidolon? I know that ship… Well, I knew **a jet** called that," Lucas pointed out. "That was… **Specter Haven's** ship name. They're…here?"

"What a **stupid** name for a ship," Jessica complained. "The **hell** is an **Eidolon** anyways?!"

Frank beckoned them to follow him as the craft lowered itself closer towards the National Archives.

* * *

 _On-board The Eidolon…_

"So, I'm going to **assume** that these suits aren't going to let us just **go in there** and take this design, right? I mean, we don't exactly have jurisdiction here, brotha," Firewalker pointed out as he, **Phantom** , **Fox** , **Spidey** , and **Daredevil** lined up in the hangar bay to drop down.

"We **could** ask nicely," Spidey sarcastically suggested.

"Na, man, we could **pay them** for it? How much do you have?"

"Let's see," Spidey rummaged in his right pouch on his costume's belt. "A few dollars… and a few quarters, what about you?"

"I can't carry money, homie. It burns up when I do my **flame on**. Somebody about to sue me for that copyright infringement on **Human Torch** ," Firewalker laughed.

"Just follow my lead," Phantom sternly told them. " **Fox** already got us up the blueprints to the archives. The main server seems to be in a main central chamber a few floors down. We might have to fight our way there but **no killing**. We need to be in and out without any trouble."

"That's fine by me," Daredevil concurred.

"I guess I'll keep my **smoke on** for this one then," Firewalker murmured. "Damn, now I sound like a pothead Human Torch."

"We've got some trouble," Wolfe called over the communicator.

"Send it," Phantom requested.

"We've got **S.H.I.E.L.D. troop transports** parked outside the Archives. **Fuck** , are they here for the same thing?"

"May be. Any personnel guarding the entrance?"

"Nothing from what I see, and I can see pretty good."

"That remains to be seen," Firewalker joked.

"Drop us off on Constitution Avenue, there's a clearing there from what I see," Phantom ordered.

" **Good luck** , then."

Wolfe slowly maneuvered the visible craft above the street and lowered the rear ramp. They all swiftly jumped several feet onto the street below them. Well, Spidey web-swung out and Firewalker dissipated into smoke but they all got there the same.

"Keep the engine running, old man," Firewalker called out to Wolfe.

"I'm joining you guys on the next mission. I hate playing pilot."

They ignored the odd looks from all the pedestrians looking at them, taking out their smartphones and recording them. Policemen closed in on their position, but they were already racing towards the Archives entrance, hoping to get in and out without any issues.

* * *

 _From across the Mall…_

Lucas instantly recognized the group that landed.

"Spidey? Phantom?"

"Cruz?" Frank grunted. "Let's go see what they're doing here…"

As Frank took a step forward on the street, he almost got ran over by a black limousine that seemed to be taking a detour to avoid traffic. A young suited man got out of the passenger seats in the back and started yelling at Frank.

"Jesus Christ, man! Look where the hell you're walking! Can't you see people are trying to get out of here?!"

"You better back up out of my face, kid," Frank barked back.

Jessica expressed a puzzled look, eyeing the guy closely.

"Wait, aren't you that young millionaire? **Harry Osborn?** " She curiously asked.

* * *

 **Note**

Hey y'all, hope you guys enjoyed this longer chap! I know it's a bit but I'm keepin it as close to 4k words as possible! It's a nice change up from afe's 9k+ words he would update lol. But, **thank you** for your guys' support. I think my grandma's doing a little bit better but she still under intensive care. Super thanks for the love and condolences! =}

So, this will be the only chap for this week, I'll try to push another one out by **Friday** , but I've got a few exams this week, a report due Tuesday, and another massive test next Thursday so I've got my work cut our for me. Y'all can keep checkin' afe's profile, I post up the regular updates on the **vr chapter planning** list as well as deadlines and goals for the chaps.

Plz let me know what y'll like/ what y'all don't like and where I can improve! Hit that follow/favorite button if you'd like to stay up to date on the story!

Peace – jack montero


	15. Return of Power Man

_**Return of Power Man**_

* * *

 _Outside the Xavier Institute in upstate New York…_

Once the reports reached the **Xavier Institute** , **S.H.I.E.L.D.** spared not a single second as they ordered the school to be evacuated, or in this case, **transferred** to another "secure" location for the time being. **Wolverine** and **Gambit** got ahold of the news fast and this threw their plans for a total twist.

Reinforcements from S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived in force to mediate the transfer and made any plan to break out the mutants a total suicide mission. Instead of that, the two mutants opted for a more secretive plan: piggyback off S.H.I.E.L.D.'s transfer and break out the mutants wherever they end up. But, first, they were going to see where Xavier was.

It was a shrewd plan, but they'd have no other means of finding them if S.H.I.E.L.D. takes them away for good.

As evening fell on the institute, Wolverine and Gambit cornered two agents on patrol and knocked them out, dragging their bodies out into the forest and taking their armor.

Infiltrating the campus wasn't easy. Agents had lined up the mutants based on **age group** and were filing them and their belongings into transport vehicles. It looked more like they were sending them off to concentration camps, probably sending them off to the same place they were already sending a few of them at a time.

Finally, they were able to reach **Professor Xavier's** office, rushing in and closing the door behind them. Inside, Xavier was staring out into the courtyard, watching his students be taken away by S.H.I.E.L.D. His back was facing them.

"I've sensed you both from beyond the perimeter for weeks now. It would appear that this recent turn of events has forced you both to **act** ," Xavier simply spoke, continuing to watch outside.

"Professuh, we've got to get you out of here before S.H.I.E.L.D. takes you away. We can't afford to let them have you!" Gambit pleaded but Xavier simply shook his head.

"This school was supposed to be a **haven**. They're taking away my children, my students, whose only crime was **existing** , **born different**."

"Look, Charles, as much as I'd like to discuss the political climate with you, it's **now** or **never**. You're the only mutant they haven't sectioned off yet, which I'm going to assume means they're going to try and kill you. I'm not going to let that happen," Wolverine sternly told him.

"Then, I await my fate," Xavier turned to face them to reveal several bruise marks on his face. It looked like S.H.I.E.L.D. had already roughed him up and he was bleeding from his nose.

"Oh my…" Gambit gasped.

"Charles! What did they do to you!?" Wolverine approached him to examine the injuries.

The old professor raised a hand to stop him.

" **I resisted**. Like **Erik** once preached… **Resistance** is the only means of survival. Alas, it has served me little," He sighed. "Their tyrannical director has equipped these agents with helmets of the same caliber as Erik's. I can't penetrate their minds."

Gambit and Wolverine glanced at each other.

"Please, leave me, the **two of you** ," Charles slumped in his wheelchair. "Get out of here before they come for you too."

Wolverine ran up to the window and peeked outside.

"Where's Hank? Storm? Jean and Scott?" Wolverine questioned.

Charles covered his face, losing his calm.

" **I should've protected them!** " He wept.

"Charles! Where are they!?"

"They… they took them away. They're transporting them to a facility in **South America**. It's where they've been taking my students… for… for **God knows what!** Dear God, **Erik** would've destroyed the world for what they're doing to us!"

"He's losing it, partner," Gambit sighed, looking at Wolverine.

"Well, we're here to save **someone**. I'm not going to let you sit here and bitch around, we're getting you out of here, Charles!"

With that, Wolverine **picked up** Xavier and carried him on his back, fireman's carry style.

"W-What, what are you doing!? Put me down, Logan! You selfish ruffian! Let me die in peace!"

"You'll thank me later, old man! Now pipe down before they hear us!"

"I'll cover you," Gambit assured him.

They sprinted out of the professor's office and out of the building. Gambit charged up kinetic energy into his hands and lightly tapped several S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles before they were spotted running towards the western fence. The agents started to open fire when Gambit released the kinetic energy in the vehicles, causing them to **violently fling** towards their direction, running over several agents in the process.

Out of nowhere, an armored vehicle appeared at the west perimeter, blocking their escape path.

"Got any ideas, Logan!?"

"Shit, only **one**! Come on! We've got to get to the underground hangar!"

"Wait, what!? You're not even sure if that thing is down there!"

"I **freaking hope so**!" Wolverine re-gripped the professor on his shoulders and sprinted back to the building alongside Gambit while they avoided gunfire from the agents.

"You're not even sure the **X-Jet** is going to be in working condition!"

"Nothing tried, nothing gained, Gambit!"

* * *

 _Inside the National Archives…_

Once they entered, they were met with a group of **armored S.H.I.E.L.D.** agents inside the main atrium. It looks like they had already infiltrated and were trying to penetrate the lower levels where the server was located. They fought through the first group easily, but once they ran into the main elevator lift towards the lower levels, they realized the agents had already entered the archives in the lower levels and sealed the lift off.

"Well, that's not good," Phantom sighed.

"Maybe I can take a crack at it?" Spidey offered, looking at the security terminal next to the elevator.

"Be my guest."

Phantom and Fox kept an eye out for additional agents while Spidey worked the terminal. Daredevil and Firewalker watched his back while he did so.

"So, where **did** you hear that rumor about me being blind?" Daredevil questioned, keeping an **ear** out to sense more agents.

"Pretty sure we sent some info or something to a newspaper reporter named **Karen Page** , who said she knew about a guy who might be able to help that was blind. Based off the fact the only dude she was known to hang with was you, it wasn't that hard to figure out," Firewalker shrugged.

"Not much of a rumor."

Finally, Spidey accessed the terminal and got it open.

"I **did** it! I **did** it!"

"That's great kid, don't get **cocky** ," Wolfe radioed through the communicator.

"Seriously? You're just going to quote **Han Solo** and pretend like we wouldn't notice?" Firewalker jokingly replied.

They all entered the huge lift big enough to fit a truck in and waited as it lowered itself into the sub-levels of the archives.

"So, this is like the place the government stashes secrets, right?" Firewalker curiously brought up.

"I would assume so, yeah. **Why**?" Phantom answered.

"Now would be a **perfect** time to look up **Illuminati** secrets and sell them."

"The world is ending and that's what you're worried about?" Fox sternly questioned.

"Hey, at least I've got **my priorities** in order! Unlike **some** people!"

Fox looked like she was about to decapitate Drake's head while her cheeks flushed a soft red.

Phantom glanced over and noticed this, subtly smiling to himself underneath his mask.

* * *

 _Outside the Archives…_

"Look son, how about you get you and your nice suit-wearing self out of here before you get hurt," Frank tried to peacefully resolve the situation, but Harry wasn't having it.

"And **who in the right mind** gave you a permit to have a rifle in the DC area?! **Bernard** , call the Metro Police, right now! I'm going to have this man arrested!" Harry protested, calling to his chauffeur.

"And you wonder why I don't work for rich people," Jessica commented to Lucas.

Suddenly, they heard gunshots coming out of the archives. Frank took his cue and just left the situation, not saying another word to Harry Osborn.

" **What**!? You're just going to leave!? You can't do that!"

"I just did you candy-licking suit. Get out of here while you still can," Frank grunted as he rapidly marched towards the archive building.

"You two! You said you're private investigators?! I'll hire you to arrest that man!"

"For what? Getting in front of your car? Jesus, you rich people **really are** conceited," Jessica rolled her eyes and started walking after Frank.

Harry was at a loss for words, looking back at Lucas. Suddenly, he began to see something familiar in him.

" **Wait** , do I know you?"

" **Shit**. Uhm, no, no. Just hang tight, sir, we'll be right back," Lucas responded.

He took this chance to run away from the situation and following Jessica and Frank into the archives.

"Whew, that was close!"

* * *

 _Over the DC area…_

 **Titan** and **Aeolus** appeared at the edge of the Potomac using one of **Tombstone's** teleportation portals and they both ordered the deployment of another wave of **Reaper Sentinels** to arrive from **Asteroid M**. Within moments, the asteroid initiated an electromagnetic pulse to knock out any satellite transmissions in the area and soon, blips started appearing across military radar over the city.

 _ **The Eidolon**_ picked up on the sentinels the moment they entered the thermosphere. They were gaining fast, closer and closer towards the surface. The specialists quickly routed the information to **Wolfe**.

"Uhm, you pups might want to hurry up," Wolfe called over the communicator.

"Is there a problem, Wolfe?" Phantom questioned.

" **Yeah**. The invasion's arrived to the capital. They're about to land,"

A few moments of hesitation passed before Phantom ordered Wolfe to route the information to Director Hill and to send **any** heli-carriers to the area to begin evacuating however many they can.

* * *

 _Inside the Archives…_

Once the team reached the lower levels, they encountered another much larger group of **S.H.I.E.L.D. agents** who quickly opened fire upon them once they landed into the sub-level. Firewalker dispatched most of them by converting into smoke, allowing the others to navigate through and knock them out easily.

Finally, thinking they finally took care of S.H.I.E.L.D., they entered the **main server room** , which was a huge empty atrium with black floor tiling and grey walls. In the middle was a twenty-foot tall server with a monitor at its base.

"Cover the room. Spider, Fox, on-me. Let's find this **Super Electrode** and get the hell out of here," Phantom ordered.

Daredevil and Firewalker kept an eye out on the entrance and Spidey jumped on the monitor to try hacking through and finding the files on the secret weapon.

"You've done a lot of hacking before?" Fox curiously asked.

Spidey gestured **so-so**.

"It's not **difficult** , per se. It's just a small skill I picked up working with Fury," he answered while keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

Phantom crossed his arms, examining the tall server structure. It reminded him of the server that he hacked back in **The Archive** in the Amazon years earlier. It seemed like a distant memory at that point.

"I found it. I'm starting the download now!" Spidey informed them.

Suddenly, Phantom sensed a presence materializing behind him. Without hesitation, he withdrew his pistol and trained it at whatever was behind him.

" **Sitwell** ," Phantom acknowledged.

It was a hologram of Sitwell. He stood tall, staring menacingly at the server, then back at Phantom.

"I must apologize for not saying my farewell back in New York, Cruz. With the world ending as it is, we've got to prioritize our efforts, no?" Sitwell condescendingly greeted.

"You coward. What do you want?" Fox angrily asked.

He grinned.

"I believe Tony Stark once termed this, I believe it's **'peace in our time'**." Sitwell answered.

"Copycat," Spidey murmured.

"Peace? Like leaving the people of New York? S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to **protect** people, Sitwell!" Phantom claimed.

The director just chuckled.

"You are in **no position** to make that claim when you yourself left as well, Cruz."

" **Nick Fury** stayed behind to help them."

"A foolish move. Even **I** recognize that R.O.G.U.E. stands to gain having Fury in command. But, without him in the picture, taking control of the situation will be **much easier** ," Sitwell confidently stated.

"And how do you plan on doing **that**?" Fox inquired.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is not the **enemy**. Contrary to your belief that we are evil boogeymen, we both just want **peace and stability** on our little planet. The threat of **Reaper** stands to eliminate us all. The sooner S.H.I.E.L.D. addresses the issue, the sooner his existence will end."

"I suppose **killing mutants** is still part of the plan?" Phantom questioned.

"A foul pestilence. What do you think **Reaper's war** is all about? He's trying to convert us into **them**."

Spidey sighed.

"Look, **Sitwell**. If you claim to not be the enemy, then **join us**. We cannot end this threat without both **R.O.G.U.E.** and **S.H.I.E.L.D.** on the same side! Stand with us, Sitwell!" Phantom pleaded.

Sitwell seemed to contemplate his offer for a brief moment. Then, the iris in his eyes seemed to temporarily glisten in a small shade of **red**.

"It's no mystery that the cooperation would yield results. But, R.O.G.U.E. and S.H.I.E.L.D. have differing ideals, **Cruz**. I **will not** ally myself with **terrorists**."

"You're deluded," Phantom shook his head and returned his attention to the download.

"You've received my last warning. I can't let you all sabotage the future of our planet."

"Just **shut up** , **Sitwell**. Don't think I've forgotten what you did to me and my team," Spidey finally told him off.

Suddenly, his **spider sense** rang off through his ears. Around the room, hidden doorways began to open up, and a whole company of **armored agents** came filing through and surrounded them.

Sitwell made one devilish grin.

"Do not worry, Specter Haven. The future will be even brighter without you."

And with that, Sitwell's hologram dematerialized out of view.

" **Awe** shit," Firewalker exclaimed as he and Daredevil began backing away from the agents.

They were much more advanced than the other agents. They had special masks that allowed them to see past Firewalker's smoke and specially made armor to deflect most common attacks that Phantom and Fox were adept at.

"T-they're everywhere!" Daredevil pointed out.

"Thanks, captain **obvious**!" Firewalker snapped back. "Want to tell me something else that's super obvious? Like, I don't know. Like we is **fucked**?"

"What's the plan, Phantom?!" Spidey asked, looking back at the download that was **87%** complete.

Phantom wasn't sure. The agents all readied their rifles, training them at them.

* * *

 _Then suddenly…_

Right before the agents fired, the sound of a powerful rifle shot off from the corridor where they had initially entered in.

A splash of blood wisped through the heads of two agents as a bullet punched right through them.

"The **hell**?!" Firewalker exclaimed.

The team directed their attention to the entrance. In the doorway stood **Carl Lucas** , **Jessica Jones** , and **Frank Castle**. Of course, none of Specter Haven, Spidey, or Daredevil knew Lucas or Jessica, but the giant **skull** on Frank's chest was a dead giveaway that it was the infamous **Punisher**.

Frank had shot off the round that ended the lives of the two agents. The agents directed their aim towards the other three and started firing off.

Instinctively, **Lucas** quickly jumped in front of Jessica and Frank and stood solid as the rounds **bounced** off his chest without a single penetration.

"Show off," Jessica commented.

Spidey eyeballed the man in yellow.

"Wait, is that… **Luke**?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Phantom ordered Specter Haven to start fighting off the agents. **Firewalker** ignited into flames and started whirling around the room to burn down the armor of as many of the agents as he can.

Daredevil followed up by swinging his club towards the enflamed agents and knocking them to the ground, separating them from their rifles.

As the first volley of rounds ended, the agents realized they were up against someone with **bulletproof skin**.

Luke sighed, looking down at his yellow shirt that was ridden with holes now, and cracking his knuckles.

"This was my favorite shirt too,"

The agents began to slowly walk back as Luke approached them and with a solid fist, he punched one so hard that it flung him back into a group of the other agents like a bowling ball against a crowd of pins.

Jessica came running behind him and started fighting off the grouping to Luke's left. Frank drew back his rifle and pulled out a **shotgun** out of his coat and started pumping it into the crowds ahead.

On the other side of the server room, Phantom and Fox fought threw a small grouping of agents with their swords while Spidey webbed up whole teams of them and plastered them into the ceiling.

After several minutes of what appeared to be an endless battle, Frank ended it by blasting his shotgun into the chest of the last agent standing.

Specter Haven, Spidey, Daredevil, and the others all began staring at each other as though they had just made contact with an alien race, both trying to catch their breath.

Frank eyeballed **Phantom** with a look ready to kill.

"Um… perhaps we should **talk**?" Luke advised.

Frank ignored the suggestion and marched up to Phantom, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the side of the server.

Fox withdrew her katanas in defense but Luke quickly asked her to put them down.

"No, no, it's okay, Fox! They know each other!" He pleaded.

The others watched as the two hashed it out.

"F-Frank?" Phantom's voice died down to a gasp.

"Look me in the **eyes** and tell me what was the last thing you said to me at Cruz's wedding reception! Tell me!" Frank shoved the barrel of his shotgun against Phantom's left side.

"It was… that I'd watch your six, **once the fighting starts** ," Phantom hesitantly answered.

Frank's eyes widened hearing this.

"C-Cruz?"

"It's me, Frank."

"I thought you were… dead…"

Phantom chuckled as Frank let him go.

"I get that a lot, my old friend."

Spidey and Luke exchanged looks and approached each other. Slowly, Peter removed his mask to look at his close friend in the eyes.

" **L-Luke**?"

"What's going on, **web-head**?"

Luke kindly extended a hand and Peter shook it to embrace his old friend in a bro-hug. For the first time in a long time, Peter felt like he had one of his closest friends finally returned to him. Even if it was a small victory, to Peter, it was a step back to normalcy in his hectic life. It's taking the world to finally start ending for it to start.

* * *

 **Note**

Hey my dudes, sorry for the late-ish update. had A LOT on my plate these past couple of days. my grandma passed away two days ago so it's been super rough getting thru but writing these chaps really helped keep my mind off of it. anyway, i hope y'all like it, for real, i've been lookign forward to this update for days now! next chap should be up sometime next week too, i'll keep the chap planning list updated on the profile for your reference. but for right now, i've got to mourn and still do all my remaining school work before monday. blehhh =P

hit that fave/follow button if y'all enjoy the story and hope to read some good reviews from y'all too. oh, and also, i started reading **The Timeless Writer'** s story, **_Dimension wars_** , give that fic a look if y'all haven't, guys, it's some really good content there. thanks again for ur support!

jack montero


	16. Punishment

_**Punishment**_

* * *

 _Back on Alpha Base…_

Once the initial reports started filing in from _**The Eidolon**_ , Director Hill sprang into action and ordered **five** regional heli-carriers to divert missions and redirect themselves at evacuating as many people as they can from **Washington D.C.** R.O.G.U.E. agents in the area were also ordered to help with the evacuation process in any capacity as they can.

They also sent out warning messages to the heads of state at the Capitol Building and the Presidential Cabinet at the White House, but they feared that they were too late.

"Once those heli-carriers are at **full capacity** , I want them straight back here! **Coulson** , make sure those two platforms are prepared to receive those refugees! I want medical personnel to begin preliminary treatments on any of the injured while in-transit!"

Director Hill was doing her job: directing. As well as keeping a close eye on the situation as it grew.

 **Steve Rogers** and **Tony Stark** stood side-by-side debating what the **Avengers** should do next.

"We **need** to send **somebody** , Tony. If not all of us, then **some of us** to help them out," Steve pleaded.

"We have **Specter Haven** on the ground alongside **web-head** ," he retorted.

"They're there to pick up your **Super Electrode** plans, they're not there to help. We need an **Avenger** to help drive those machines back to buy R.O.G.U.E. enough time to save as many people as they can!"

"You think I haven't calculated the risks, **Steve**? Sending **one Avenger** is to sign their death warrant. You, of all people, should know that it's **suicide** to go at it alone. We need to reserve our strength. Keep building the team."

He turned his back on him before Rogers grabbed his shoulder and forced Tony to look at him.

"I'm not going to let your pettiness towards our disagreements get people **killed** , Tony! We have to at least **try**!"

"Look, **old man**. There's a **right way** of doing things and a there's a **wrong way** of doing things," Tony sighed, taking a step back.

"Look, **Steve**. I admire your wanting to help them, I really do. But, we can't send someone **just yet**. Reaper is doing everything he can to draw us out unprepared. He already caught us with our pants down by showing up at the **worst time possible**. But, we've **got to** prepare ourselves, first. A lot of people are going to die before we can save them,"

Steve sighed, knowing that Tony had a point.

"So, sacrifice a few **million** to save **billions**?" He then calmly asked.

Tony nodded, causing Steve to sarcastically chuckle.

"If we leave this war to the laws of mathematics then we've become worse than the ones slaughtering us, Tony."

And with that, he left the command room, leaving Tony to his thoughts.

* * *

 _Back inside the main server room in the National Archives…_

"Everyone all right?" Daredevil inquired, seeing everyone come together near the main server.

"Wait, is that you, **Red**?" Frank curiously asked, taking a closer look at him.

" **Frank**? Jesus, what are you doing all the way over here?"

"Long story, but, shit, it's good to see you. Hope you not mad at me for shooting at you last time we saw each other."

"Frank, when **aren't** you shooting at someone?" Daredevil replied.

"You got me there!" He grinned.

"Oh! Where are my manners? Everyone, this is my partner in crime, **Jessica Jones**. I've been undercover working as a private investigator at her firm, **Alias Investigations** ," Luke introduced.

"And I know who you all are so… no need for that," Jessica simply waved.

"It's good to have you back on our side, Luke," Phantom approached and shook the man's hand firmly.

"Likewise, Phantom. Figures that it took the world going to shit before we all got united. Eh, Pete?"

"Ha, yeah," Pete scratched his head nervously, glancing at the monitor next to them.

It was finally at **100%** and the files were downloaded into a local external hard drive.

The entire room suddenly shook. There were loud sounds of rumbling in the floors above.

"We've **all** got a lot to catch up on, but… I think we need to get the hell out of here, **fast** ," Frank suggested.

"Agreed," Phantom pulled up his communicator. " **Wolfe** , we've got the files, but we need an **extraction**."

Static answered, but Wolfe picked up moments later. The sounds of blasts were faintly ambient within his surroundings.

"Going to… take a raincheck on that!" Wolfe sounded agitated, trying to maneuver _**The Eidolon**_. "I've got these damned machines on my tail! I'll try to divert and…(static)…"

"Wolfe? **Wolfe**!?"

No answer.

"Damn! Everyone, let's get topside and see what's going on!" Phantom ordered.

"Who made that guy the leader?" Jessica whispered to Luke.

"He's kind of the **subject matter expert** on the guys attacking us here," was his response.

Spidey took the hard drive and followed the others through the entrance into the server room and back up the elevator lift to the main lobby of the Archives.

Once outside, they witnessed it.

In a mirrored form of Manhattan's invasion, the **Invasion of Washington D.C.** was just as catastrophic. The human-sized mechs had carved a path of destruction through the streets of D.C. and three skyscraper-sized ones were tearing apart various parts of the city. One in particular, stood directly in the middle of the National Mall, staring down the **Capitol Building**.

It charged up the energy beam within its right palm and unleashed a massive blast that completely shattered the rotunda of the **Capitol** , causing it to crumble down in a large pile of rubble.

"240 years of progress and I'm alive to see the destruction of it. **God damn it** ," Frank grunted.

Suddenly, they saw a familiar suited businessman approach them from near the steps.

" **You**!" Harry Osborn pointed at the group.

"Harry?" Spidey glanced over.

"You guys! You're **superheroes** , right?! You've got to stop these machines from destroying the city! Jesus Christ, do you see what they're doing!?" He pleaded, trying to take cover.

"We've got eyes, son, don't you worry about that," Frank barked back.

"Well, there goes our clientele, Jessica," Luke commented, watching a group of building-sized machines march towards the direction of Alexandria, Virginia, where their **office** was located.

She just shrugged.

"Hated this town anyway,"

"Damn it. Where the hell is the **National Guard**? Cruz?" Frank turned his attention to Phantom, who was examining the skies.

They looked in the direction he was examining, seeing individual helicopters and jets try to enter the city's airspace, only to seem to lose power and fall from the sky.

"My guess is that they got some sort of **EMP** going off in the airwaves," Firewalker suggested. "They keep their goons moving on the ground while they knock out the cavalry from the skies."

Suddenly, they saw a small shred of hope…

Uncloaking from the edges of the Potomac, about **five R.O.G.U.E. heli-carriers** appeared, launching emergency life-ships from their lower decks and launching defensive countermeasures on the smaller mechs to distract them from the life-ships.

"Aw **hell** yeah!" Firewalker cheered. "About time we get some support!"

"Wolfe, what's your status, I can't see you anywhere!" Phantom called in.

"I'm somewhere out in the Potomac! A bundle of these damn turds followed me and I had to get to a safer zone to pick them off! Give me about 20 and I'll be back at your location, ASAP!" Wolfe responded.

"We **don't have** 20 minutes, you've got **10** ," Phantom answered.

"Wait, so what's going on?" Harry inquired.

Frank walked over and pulled the suited businessman closer and handed him his shotgun.

"You ever handle one of these before, kid? You're about to now."

"Wait, **what**!? I-I've never shot anything before in my life!"

"Neither did the patriots who fought against the Brits. You'll be fine."

The heroes dug in on the steps of the National Archives, setting up a defensive position as they waited for _**The Eidolon**_ to return to extract them.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched from the roof of the National Archives building. **Titan** and **Aeolus** examined their movements and opened a communications link with Reaper's flag-ship _**Vengeance**_ that was hovering over **Manhattan** for further instructions.

* * *

 _Onboard_ _ **Vengeance**_ _, Reaper's flag-ship…_

The silent, heavily-modified heli-carrier hovered watched over the carnage that was happening on the streets of Manhattan below them. While the rest of the **Vanguard** carried out Reaper's orders, **Moros** and **Tombstone** stayed put, as his personal guard that communicated with the rest of the **Reaper Sentinels** and the **Vanguard**.

Reaper himself, however, simply stood gazing at the onslaught on the main bridge, lost in his thoughts.

With haste, **Moros** approached his master at the bridge.

"Master. **Titan** and **Aeolus** report that they've encountered **Specter Haven at** the Washington D.C. attack site. How do you want them to proceed?"

"Still on the run, Phantom?" Reaper murmured to himself.

"Master?"

"Bring **Phantom** to me. Dispose of the rest if they resist."

* * *

 _Back in Washington D.C…_

A small wave of the mechanical foot soldiers attacked the entrenched **Specter Haven** minutes after they had bunkered down in a defensive position. While **Firewalker** hovered around in a cloud of smoke to distract them, **Phantom** , **Fox** , and **Spidey** fought off the larger droves while **Frank** sniped from an elevated construction platform in a parking lot next to them. **Daredevil** , **Luke** , and **Jessica** fought off the drones coming around the front of the Archives and **Harry Osborn** shot back as he could with directions from Frank.

Suddenly, the mechs **stopped** attacking and directed their attention away from them, towards other areas of the city.

"Something's not right," Frank commented.

"Maybe we spooked them off?" Firewalker suggested.

"They're **machines**. How can they get 'spooked' off?"

"They were **called** off," Phantom concluded.

Then, from behind them, two familiar beings appeared. The heroes directed their attention to their guests.

 **Titan** , one of the **Les Echets** mutates and part of **Reaper's Vanguard** , landed on his feet. He wore a bone armor plating similar to Reaper's and wore a knight-like metallic helmet that covered his whole head.

Next to him, **Aeolus** , the wind elemental mutate appeared in a cloudy form.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Reaper's little **bitches** ," Firewalker blurted aloud.

"Quiet down, Firewalker," Fox warned him, watching Phantom slowly approach forward.

The two Vanguard members watched him menacingly, not moving for even a second.

" **Phantom**. Our master **Reaper** wishes for you to accompany us back to his flag-ship in Manhattan," **Titan** coldly greeted him. "Come with us, and we will **spare** your team."

"I see," Phantom skeptically answered, slowly turning to look over at Fox.

She slowly shook her head in disapproval.

He returned his gaze on the two mutates.

"That's not going to happen."

In that second, Phantom disappeared, reappearing quickly **behind** Titan and attempting to kick him down the front stairs of the Archives. But **Titan** was too quick, deflecting the attack with his arms and began fighting head-on with Phantom.

 **Aeolus** dissipated, and his air molecules formed a small thunderstorm above the area.

"I've got this cloud-boy!" Firewalker informed them, igniting into full flame form and attempting to fight off Aeolus.

Just then, in the distance, the **Reaper Sentinels** stopped their attacks and released the **Vitruvian Destiny** gas into the city streets, infecting **thousands** in seconds. Groups of **Wraiths** morphed quickly and the ones closest to the National Archives raced towards the group of heroes to attack them.

"God damn!" Frank exclaimed, pulling out pistols and shooting off the Wraiths from his platform. "I'm going to need some help over here! Zombie apocalypse is happening!"

Fox turned to the others,

" **Jessica** , **Luke** , **Daredevil** , keep the Wraiths off of us for as long as you can! **Spidey** , let's go help Phantom!"

The team acknowledged and dispersed.

 **Luke** , having **impenetrable skin** , was able to fight the Wraiths full on without worry of their teeth sinking into his skin. He grabbed a few of them at a time and slammed their skulls into the concrete below.

 **Jessica** hit fast and hit in the weak spots that Luke identified fighting them off. She made sure to hit the Wraiths at the legs to slow them down and once that started failing, she grabbed a street lamp and started slamming them with it.

Luckily for **Daredevil** , he had some experience fighting these monsters in Manhattan, so he listened closely and made sure to dodge their attacks swiftly and used his club to keep them at bay without making full-on contact with the Wraiths.

On the other hand…

 **Titan** was proving to be quite the difficult foe. He, much like the other mutate, **Goliath** , had immeasurable strength. Toppled with his heavy armor plating, he was **almost** as powerful as the **Hulk**.

Phantom tried swinging his sword into the gaps in his armor, which forced Titan to grunt in pain, but he just seemed to get stronger and angrier with each hit.

In a different tactic, **Spidey** webbed Titan's arms down to the ground to prevent him from using them and both Phantom and Fox unleashed a barrage of sword and katana attacks respectively. It seemed to weaken him momentarily, but he only reinforced his strength and ripped the webbing off and continued to attack them.

To their horror, they realized his physical size was growing as well. He went from an average human size to about the size of the **Hulk** throughout the fight, causing his armor plating to break off except for his helmet to expose his gray and heavily tattooed skin.

" **Surrender!** " Titan bellowed.

"Or what? We'll get eaten for dinner?" Spidey snapped as he shot webbing at his helmet's visor to distort his vision.

While continuing their attacks, Phantom realized that Titan's skin healed itself with every slash they inflicted on it.

" **Shit**."

Finally, Titan had enough.

He roared in rage as his right arm swung Phantom into a wall. Turning his attention to Spidey, he opened his visor and screamed a loud **sonic boom** from his mouth, causing the webslinger to become disoriented and fall off his web-swing and into the ground.

 **Fox** took her chance while her teammates were down to try and surprise Titan by plunging one of her **katanas** into his exposed neck from the back. She jumped up and scaled the walls of the Archives for a few feet and launched herself off the top ledge for the killing blow.

 **Titan** swiftly turned around and grabbed her by the waist with his right hand and squeezed her tight.

The mutate chuckled as he tried crushing her to death, forcing her to scream in pain.

In one last move of defiance, she sunk her **katana** into his wrist, causing Titan to roar in anger.

Recovering from his landing, Phantom looked up and felt his heart sink at Fox's predicament.

The enraged Titan began slamming Fox repeatedly into the ground, face first. After doing so a few times, he threw her across the lot and she landed hard onto the pavement, **unconscious**.

" **Fox**!" Phantom cried, rushing over to her.

Titan grunted what sounded a snide chuckle and turned his direction to **Spidey** , who had already recovered and was trying to disorient the mutate by shooting webs sporadically to throw him off.

Phantom lifted Fox up and tried to dry up a trickle of blood coming down her bruised forehead. Titan had hurt her bad. He sensed the blunt force trauma that she had endured. His healing factor transfer can only do so much. This was something out of his control.

Above all else however, he had built up **rage.** It had **pained** him to see her, of all his teammates, this badly hurt.

 **Angrily** , he looked up at Titan and began to calculate a strategy to take him down. Glancing over at Frank, he saw that **The Punisher** was shooting off the hordes of Wraiths with his **sniper rifle**.

In that second, he discovered a strategy.

" **Frank** ," he called into his communicator.

"Send it, Cruz,"

"What's the caliber round you're shooting off right now?"

"7.62, how do you **not know** that?"

"You got anything stronger?"

Frank reached into his pouches while he covered to reload and felt the **Judas** round that he had intended for **Power Man** in the event he couldn't reason with him.

"I do. Where do you want me?"

"I need you to aim at **Titan's** head. I'll order the webslinger to web his arms and I'll move in to r **emove the helmet**. Once that thing comes off, I need you to shoot it right at his forehead," Phantom ordered.

"Done. Forewarning, though. I only have one shot to do this. Try to keep big boy as steady as you can."

"Don't miss then, Castle."

Titan shoved the webslinger off of him once more and focused on the approaching Phantom.

"Aw, **did I hurt her** , Phantom?" Titan menacingly asked.

He then reached over to his wrist and removed the katana that was still lodged in there, proceeding to snap it in half with his fingers.

"You're going to **pay** for hurting her, you son of a bitch."

Phantom glanced over to Spidey, who was getting back up, ready to go at Titan once more.

"Alright web-head, listen to me! When I get on the big guy's shoulders, I need you to string up every web you got and keep his arms off of me! You hear me?!" He ordered him through the communicator.

Spidey paused to catch his breath and looked up and gave him the thumbs up.

"You got it, Phantom!"

"Good, let's do this!"

He rushed Titan, swiftly **disappearing and reappearing** in different spots to throw the mutate's focus off. Charging his bracers, he briefly electrocuted Titan's underside before sliding beneath his legs and behind him.

Phantom then disappeared once more and scaled up the wall behind Titan in the same manner Fox did and gripped the ledge to look for Frank.

 **The Punisher** had positioned himself while Luke, Daredevil, and Jessica kept the Wraiths off of him, keeping his M40 rifle trained on Titan. **Spidey** swung up into the air and waited for Phantom's cue.

Titan looked around hysterically to find Phantom, closing his window of opportunity.

 **Phantom** took one last deep breath and launched himself off the ledge, slowing down time in his mind to position himself square on the Titan's shoulders.

Then… **bam**! He felt the crunch of his lower abdominal armor as he impacted the back of Titan's helmet.

 **Spidey** wasted **no** time to shoot multiple strands of webbing to keep Titan's arms down to the ground, including his legs.

Phantom reached down and grabbed the edge of Titan's massive knight-styled helmet and briefly struggled to remove it. Without thinking, he supercharged his bracers and the built-up power forced the helmet to **shatter** , exposing Titan's true face underneath. In doing so, Phantom fell backwards off Titan's shoulders.

" **Fool**! This changes nothing!" Titan roared.

"Look again, you big idiot!" Spidey warned, swinging by.

Titan forced up all of his strength to rip himself free of the webbing, turning to see a red light shine bright from the lot below them.

"Heal this, **bitch** ," Frank murmured, pulling the trigger and shooting off the **Judas Bullet**.

The Hulk-like mutate instinctively tried to protect his head by covering the shot with his hands, but the bullet punched right through and straight through his forehead.

With a surprised expression on Titan's face, he fell on his back **hard**.

 **Dead**.

* * *

 _In the skies above D.C..._

 **Aeolus** and **Firewalker** were dishing out their own fight above the situation on the ground.

Firewalker tried to launch fireball attacks at the gas-based mutate, but Aeolus simply dissipated and reappeared in cloud form somewhere else. It was difficult to get a hit on him because Aeolus had the ability to disappear through water droplets while Firewalker remained visible through smoke or fire.

" **Jesus** , homie! Just stay still so I can hit ya!"

Aeolus menacingly chuckled, which echoed across the skies because he was essentially everywhere.

Firewalker sighed.

Suddenly, Aeolus materialized into a singular form and seemed to look down on the ground. In that moment, he withdrew his storm force and **retreated** from the airspace.

" **What the fuck**!? Oh no you don't, **punk**! We is going to finish this fight right here, right now!"

"Let him go, Firewalker," Phantom's voice ordered from his communicator.

"What, why?!"

"We took down **Titan**."

"So?!"

" **Fox's hurt**. **Wolfe** , where the **fuck** are you with that extraction?!"

"I'm on it," Wolfe solemnly answered.

* * *

 _Back on the ground…_

After clearing out the onslaught of Wraiths, the others regrouped with **Phantom** , who had picked up **Fox** in his arms. Her eyes were closed, **unconscious** from the beating she took facing up with **Titan** by herself.

 _ **The Eidolon**_ finally appeared from the skies and the front-ramp opened up. A small team of **R.O.G.U.E.** armored agents moved out to help escort the team onto the craft.

"You're coming with us, **Harry**!" Spidey pulled the millionaire from behind an overturned car and dragged him to the ship.

"I, I ran out of shotgun shells!" He pleaded. "Wait, where are you taking me?!"

"To safety, **idiot** ," Frank spoke up.

Firewalker landed just in time to see Phantom carry Fox into the cruiser. He tried to lend his apologies but Phantom was too far-gone with rage in his veins to even acknowledge him.

As he walked off to the medical bay, the others stayed to watch the onslaught in D.C. as they pulled out.

The five R.O.G.U.E. heli-carriers rescued as many people as they could, with whole **crowds** trying to fight their way into the life-ships. But, as the main skyscraper-sized mechs focused their attacks on them, they had to pull out **before they reached full capacity.**

"Well, **shit**. Looks like the federal government's gone to shit," Frank commented, sitting at the edge of the ramp and seeing the **Washington Monument** crumble to pieces in the distance.

"What happens now?" Daredevil inquired. "What about the military?"

"I don't know, Red. I'm no politician. I assume that the state governments will do what they can to protect their borders."

"We're going to need **a lot** of help to stop this," Luke sternly commented.

Jessica rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to the kitchen on this thing. I need a **drink** ," she plainly stated, walking off.

"Save me some, I do too," Frank got on his feet and followed her.

* * *

 _In the medical-bay on-board The Eidolon…_

Phantom softly placed Fox on one of the cots, removing her hood and exposing her long dark-brown hair.

Wolfe and Firewalker joined him and asked if they could help but he shrugged.

"Phantom, she needs **medical help**. We need to get back to Alpha Base," Wolfe calmly suggested. "They should have the people to help."

"I agree with the old man," Firewalker concurred.

Their leader nodded.

"Inform **Hill** that we'll be there soon."

"On it, boss," Firewalker acknowledged and the two specters walked out.

Phantom knelt down and softly held her right hand.

"You'll make it through this, Fox. I **promise**."

With that, he got up and left the medical bay. Holding dear in his heart that she'll be okay.

* * *

 **Note**

Hey my dudes, here's the next chap up! super duper sorry that it's a little long but it was a helluva lot of action to pack into this one. So hope you enjoy it, I'll update the chap planning on afe's profile for this one and keep an eye on it for the next chap's release. It might be end of this week or in the weekend. Got A LOT of schoolwork to do with finals week comin up so stay updated plz.

also, massive thanks for ur condolences. it really means a lot guys. u guys are awesome! =) for real. i'm startin to see the whole "family" concept that afe talked about with this community. but anyway, thanks again.

if u liked the story hit that fave/follow button to stay updated! let me know what u liked/disliked and what i can improve on!

-jack montero


	17. These Past Years

_**These Past Years…**_

* * *

 _Right outside the Medical Bay on-board The Eidolon…_

As the first day of the **Reaper's Invasion** ended, the communications began to grow scarce across the United States as cell towers were being destroyed and people had to rely on short-wave radios to communicate. From what **R.O.G.U.E.** had learned, four other major cities were occupied, **Chicago** , **Los Angeles** , **Houston** , and **Seattle**.

With _**The Eidolon**_ en-route back to **Alpha Base** , everyone on-board, including the R.O.G.U.E. specialists, took a moment to breathe and process everything that was going on. It wasn't easy on everyone, but they were remaining steadfast to their efforts.

 **Phantom** stood outside the medical-bay, watching **Fox** rest through the Plexiglas window. The medical technicians aboard stabilized her and were giving her the necessary treatment to sustain her until she can see the doctors at Alpha Base.

This did nothing to lessen his worry, however. He felt guilty for allowing her to charge **Titan** like that. He felt like he had let her down, and that **crushed** him, because she's the **only** person in the team that looked out for him emotionally, an attachment he hadn't felt anything for since…

"There you are," a gruff familiar voice greeted.

 **Castle** walked up and stood beside him to see what he was seeing.

"I apologize for not presenting my greeting more graciously back at the Archives, Frank. I honestly wish we had reunited under better circumstances."

"Jesus, knock that **formality** shit off, Cruz. We've both been through enough to get past that."

"In that case, it's good to see you again, Frank. You look like **shit**."

"Ha! That's more like it!" Frank chuckled.

The two former Marines shook hands and leaned in for a brotherly hug.

"So, tell me, what's going on? Who's she?"

"A dear friend, one of my teammates," Phantom solemnly answered.

"It looks more than just a dear friend."

"Why does everyone say that?"

"Shit, don't look at me, pal. I just got here," Frank shrugged. " **Luke Cage** filled me in on your story, by the way."

Phantom looked over at him.

"You mind telling me why you didn't think to come **finding** me after the shit they did to you in that project, Cruz?"

The specter sighed.

"It had been **sixteen years** , Frank. The last thing I wanted to dig up was an old skeleton for you to mourn after again."

"Don't give me that bullshit," Frank calmly, yet angrily warned him. "I helped **carry** your **casket** at your funeral. I told your wife **Maria** that **my Maria** and I would be there if she ever needed anything. You should've come to me, dickhead."

"I know. I'm **sorry** , Frank. There wasn't a lot of time to do **any** catching up back then, with **Taskmaster** and **Deadpool** nearly destroying the city."

"I know, I heard," Frank retorted. "I told you, you should've **never** gone in with those **S.H.I.E.L.D.** fucks."

"You're not telling me anything I haven't told myself a million times now, Frank. I can't change what's happened."

"Seems like we've both fallen hard on our luck, eh?"

Phantom hesitated for a moment.

"I heard what happened to your **family** , Frank. I'm… I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you."

Frank was silent for a few moments, staring at Fox before calmly looking down at the railing in front of the window.

"Like you, I can't change what happened either, Cruz. At least I killed the bastards responsible. I don't hold any regrets for the things I've done."

"Your answer **always** was with a weapon," Phantom joked.

"Damn right. And like I told you before, we're in this shit together, whether you like it or not. Besides, who **else** would you rather have on your side?" Frank laughed, patting his partner on the back.

"I don't know. Daredevil, Luke, and Jessica seem to make a good hero team," Phantom sarcastically answered.

"Shit, those three weirdos are too busy **defending** than going on the offensive."

Frank cheered Phantom up as best he could for the duration of the flight. Although, Frank kept egging Phantom on that he was developing feelings for Fox. Phantom didn't want to confirm or deny that, but Frank could see right through him. He definitely felt something, especially with the **bloodthirsty rage** that ran through him seeing Fox get hurt by Titan.

* * *

 _In the mess-hall on-board The Eidolon…_

Within the living quarters deck on the cruiser, there was a small **mess hall** with a kitchenette where the specialists could dine between missions. En-route back to Alpha Base, a few of the specialists were down there to grab a quick meal before they returned to Alpha Base.

 **Jessica** had found a bottle of **Whiskey** stashed between the food cabinets and she helped herself to a glass.

"You should probably take it easy with that," Luke suggested.

"Dude. The country is being taken over by killer robots and my office is a pile of rocks now. I'm taking this bottle and turning it upside down, okay?" She snapped.

"I'm just saying."

"Yeah, yeah. You're always **'just saying'**."

From the elevator lift to the deck, **Peter** showed up, still in his modified costume, but without the mask.

" **There** he is," Luke warmly greeted his old friend, shaking Peter's hand and leaning in for a brotherly hug.

"Jesus, you have **no idea** how good it is to have you back, big guy."

"It's good to **be** back, webhead."

For the next half hour, they spent time talking about what had happened in the past two years. Luke explained that after S.H.I.E.L.D. sent him off to another enclave to work from, he broke out and ended up right on the outskirts of the Washington D.C. area. There, he met **Jessica** , who had arrived from New York to seek better work in D.C. as a private investigator. He ended up adopting the name **Carl Lucas** as a new alias and worked beside Jessica at **Alias Investigations**. He admitted feeling guilty for not reaching out to him earlier, but he worried that S.H.I.E.L.D. was closing in on his true identity in the past few months, opting not to risk getting detected.

"Wow! I bet you're a hell of a detective now, huh?" Peter jokingly asked.

Luke shrugged, grinning.

" **Something** like that. Jessica usually just uses me as a meat shield in case things get rough."

"You know you love it," she flirtatiously answered, taking another swig of Whiskey.

"We've had our run-ins with S.H.I.E.L.D. before, but, I've done my best to keep my nose down for the greater part of the last two years," Luke concluded.

"I know what you mean," Peter acknowledged.

"So, tell me, web-head. What have **you** been up to?"

Peter explained how he ended up going solo, keeping his charade as Spider-Man down to a minimum since S.H.I.E.L.D. kept close tabs on him, but he did what he could. He talked about how he got a job at **Daily Bugle Communications** … as well as how he **lost the job**. He also mentioned the **whispers** and **hallucinations** he'd experienced that **Dr. Strange** had perceived to originate from **Reaper**.

"I hope that son-of-a-bitch isn't trying to control you like he did **Nova** ," Luke commented.

"I hope not. I think what **Dr. Strange** did helped out, but I hope he doesn't try again."

"I pray not," Luke concurred. "So, have you been able to contact any of the other guys? Danny? Sam?... **Ava**?"

The mention of Ava's name slightly forced Pete's heart to sink.

"No, I haven't. But, Dr. Strange used some sort of mystical magic to locate them around the globe, so… I'm hoping we can find a way to find them and get them to help us out with this situation," Peter explained.

"This Dr. Strange guy is awfully helpful," Jessica commented.

"He's a good dude," Luke, in-passing, told her. "You still got your feelings for **Ava** , Pete?"

Peter took a deep breath and slowly nodded.

"Besides you guys, she's all I've thought about these past few years."

Luke slowly nodded.

"I'm sorry, man. Any idea where she is now?"

"Somewhere in **Brazil** , if Dr. Strange's magic is to be believed."

"We'll find her, man," Luke assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see you too."

"I hope so. All that needs to happen now is to find out she's found some other guy, got married, or has a few kids by now," Peter sighed.

"Ah, you can't think like that. You were her **first love** , you **are**. If I know Ava, she's still waiting, same as you, Pete."

"Thanks, Luke."

Peter admitted to himself to feeling better after hearing his trusted friend telling him that. With that in thought, he excused himself to go check on **Harry** and **MJ** in the small corner space room on the engineering deck, where MJ was able to tap into the R.O.G.U.E. information network and send live updates through whatever forms of social media were still online as well as her own broadcast through _**The Eidolon's**_ frequencies to the survivors around the country.

* * *

 _In the cargo hold…_

 **Wolfe** asked **Firewalker** to check on the gas-level in the small Quinjet and to check for any damages he might've sustained down in the cargo hold of the ship. Drake took the lift down to the cargo hold and turned on the deck's lights to look for the Quinjet and begin taking tally of the gas levels on the small craft, glancing around for any noticeable damage.

"You saw how pissed off the boss was when you didn't show up with the jet?" Drake asked Wolfe over the communicator.

"Of course I saw. What's your point?"

" **Pretty sure** he was mostly pissed because **Fox** got hurt."

"Jesus, son, if you've got something to say, spit it out," Wolfe grunted.

"He's getting **sweaty** for **Fox**!" Drake joked. "I nevah seen the man so worked up before in my life!"

"How is this anything new? We **already** knew this!" Wolfe retorted.

"Yeah, we knew **Fox** had feelings. Now, I'm startin' to confirm that **Phantom** 's feelin some type of way! Give me a bowtie and call me the **matchmaker** , Wolfe! I think those two lovebirds are fallin' for each other!"

"Stay off the drugs, pup. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Hey! Just cause you're blind don't mean I…"

"Hey, **Firewalker** ," Daredevil surprised him.

Drake, startled, loudly screamed and ignited into his fiery form. Once he realized it was Daredevil, he quickly calmed down.

"Jesus, man, don't shake me up like that, homie! I could've like… **shishkabob'd** you just now!"

"Doubtful," Daredevil grinned. "Need help?"

"Sort of. I was just taking a few inventory checks before we get to Alpha Base. What are **you** doing down here?"

"Just needed some space to de-compress. I might not be able to **see** but being able to **sense** the fear in everyone's heart is just as traumatizing."

"I hear that, homie. You good?"

"Yeah, I'm **good**."

"Well you let me know if you need an ear, holla at me," Firewalker assured him.

"I appreciate that."

"No problem."

Firewalker checked the gasoline levels on the hold's Quinjet and then jumped down to start examining the physical interior of the hull for any damage.

"Yo, you held out your own pretty good down there," Firewalker then commented.

"Huh?"

"With that fight we had against **Titan** and the **Wraiths**. You did good, homie."

"Oh, **thanks**."

" **Word**. I don't know about that Frank Castle dude but you, Luke, and Jessica got a good thing going on with y'all's fighting style. Which, **by the way** , is **Jessica** single or what?"

Daredevil chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure she's with Luke, man."

" **Damn!** She's my type of **crazy** ," Firewalker joked.

"If you say so."

"You three should find a fourth dude and form a team-up of superheroes or somethin'. Like, the **Super Squad** , or the **Secret Soldiers** , or…"

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Daredevil quickly suggested.

"What about **The Defenders**?"

"I'm not a **team** type of a guy, really. I mean, I'll fight with them, sure. But, I don't want to be the guy responsible if one of my teammates get killed. You already saw how Phantom reacted to his teammate getting hurt. I don't want that kind of burden."

"Shit, ain't that the truth," Firewalker concurred.

* * *

 _In the compartment hold on the engineering deck…_

 **Harry** joined up with **MJ** down in her "news room" after he got on-board. From what Peter had heard when he got on-board, he was worried about the fate of his chauffeur, Bernard, who went to get help after the mechs showed up, but never heard from him again.

After giving those two their space, Peter decided to go see them, and tried to find a way to prepare telling Harry about his secret identity. He took a deep breath outside MJ's news room before entering it.

"I can't get anything on **Chicago**. All their news channels have gone silent. A few radio waves coming out in the suburban areas, but nothing solid," MJ was explaining to Harry while she was sitting in front of multiple computer screens.

They had their backs to him, so Peter knocked on the hull to get their attention.

The both of them turned to look at him.

"Hey… guys," Peter nervously greeted them.

Harry's eyes widened, seeing Peter in his modified **Spider-Man** outfit. He partially opened his mouth in shock, trying to figure out what he was seeing.

"P-P-Peter? You're… you're **Spider-Man**?"

MJ held Harry's hand confidently to try and get him to calm down.

"Yeah, Harry. I'm the webslinging weirdo," he tried to make light of the situation.

"But… how?"

" **Long story**."

Harry looked over to MJ.

"You knew?"

"I actually **just found out** myself back on Manhattan. Peter saved me from the UN building and convinced me to come aboard here," she modestly answered.

The owner of **Oscorp** was still at a loss for words.

"You've… you've got to explain it all to me, Pete. You're my best friend. I need the truth here."

For the next hour, Peter sat through and explained **everything** to both Harry and MJ to get them up to speed. He talked about his accident, the **spider** that bit him and gave him the extraordinary powers he had now.

He talked about joining **S.H.I.E.L.D.** under Director **Nick Fury's** superhero intiative with **Power Man** , **White Tiger** , **Nova** , and the **Iron Fist** and their meeting with **Phantom** , which led to him explaining what happened during the **Manhattan Incident** and **The Battle of Island M**.

Which led to him talking about **Reaper** , and how his freak-out at the restaurant was (probably) caused by him controlling his mind.

You guys know the rest.

"Jesus, that's… that's **amazing** , Peter. How did you keep it a secret from the both of us?" Harry inquired.

"Well, when you're **broke** , can barely hold a job or have enough time for college, it's easy to be a superhero," Peter shrugged. "I'm just really sorry I kept you guys in the dark after they took my team away. I should've told you guys."

"Don't worry, Pete, it's **all right**. Seriously. Something as big as that. I'm surprised you told us **at all** ," MJ assured him.

"She's right. Thanks for letting us know. But, what happens **now**?" Harry curiously asked.

Peter shrugged.

"We're going back to **Alpha Base** , R.O.G.U.E.'s secret underwater base out somewhere in the Pacific. I know they were helping evacuate some of the cities, so odds are we'll see a lot of refugees there in the meantime."

"I'll try to make contact with whoever's still alive at my locations with **Oscorp** , maybe we can provide some help."

"I'll keep trying to make contact with any news stations still operational. I'm keeping my Twitter feed updated by the minute with anything new I might have," MJ added.

Peter felt better putting the truth out there to his two closest friends. With them on-board, he was sure that they would be a helpful asset to **R.O.G.U.E.** and **Specter Haven**.

Now that the truth was told, he thought about how **Ava** was doing…

…and if she was thinking of him.

* * *

 _Somewhere out in the Amazon Rainforest…_

A convoy of unmarked armored trucks came rolling through a deep jungle trail in the dead of the night. They were being led by none other than **Kraven the Hunter** , who had finally tracked **White Tiger** to a section of the Amazon several miles into the interior of **Brazil** , away from **Rio**.

Suddenly, the convoy **stopped** in front of something.

 **Kraven** angrily got out of his vehicle, three trucks away from the front in the eight car convoy.

"What's the hold up?" He demanded in his thick Russian accent.

"There's a body in the middle of the road, boss."

"Out of my way!" Kraven demanded, shoving his way forward to look at the body.

It was one of his **forward scouts** he had sent into the jungle days prior to seek out signs of **White Tiger**. Deep **claw** wounds had pierced his chest and it almost seemed like whatever attacked him was trying to rip his lungs out.

Kraven grinned ear to ear as he took a sniff of the carcass.

"She's losing herself to the **amulet**."

He ordered his men to discard the body to the side of the road and to proceed to their next encampment where they would send out more patrols into the jungle to seek her out.

In the large trees overlooking the road, **Ava** silently crawled on a thick branch, watching them pass by. She gripped the branch tightly, trying to avoid falling off and alerting Kraven.

She had put out the body as a deterrent but even she knew that Kraven would continue pushing forward to hunt her down. His forward scouts had kept her up for most of the day and she was beyond tired, ready to return to her hut and rest for the night.

Once she was back, she curled up in a makeshift bed, not bothered by the sounds of the jungle outside. Keeping her amulet close to her chest, she had to force herself to sleep. Ava knew she'd be a wreck without her sleep.

Closing her eyes, all she could think of was **Peter** , and if she would live through Kraven's hunt to see him again.

She fell asleep wondering if he thought of her…

* * *

 _A few miles west…_

"These reports aren't looking good, **Wren** ," Selena commented as they sat at a bar in another village and watched the poor-quality television broadcast the news report.

"It looks like the **United States** has fallen," he commented. "Hmm… It appears Washington D.C. fell quicker than it did a few realities ago when **Doctor Doom** charged up his doom-bots after it."

"No, no, the president in that reality bombed the entire city with nukes, remember?"

Wren chuckled.

"That's right, I forgot."

She sighed, taking a sip of the juice the bartender offered.

"So, we keep pushing to **Rio**?"

Wren pulled out a wallet with several currencies he's picked up over the last several realities and gave the bartender a **gold dollar** from Earth-57.

"Yup."

* * *

 **Note**

This train don't stop guys haha! I got most of my big assignments for the week done today so I cranked a chap out for u guys, hope y'all enjoy this one. I'm doin my best to stay ahead of schedule nd this chap was more of a dialogue-heavy expositional chap, so is the next one. So, I'll try to get the next chap out by the end of the week but no promises on that one. Plzzzz keep an eye on the chap planning list on afe's profile to stay updated.

Also, I've been tryin to reach out to a few of afe's old contacts but jesus, nobody wants to return my msgs lol. It's hard to contact ppl who were active back in 2014! =O =O But, if u guys have any strong suggestions to add to the story, shoot throw them in here. For real! I'm all ears!

Massive thanks for the reviews to my main guys who leave em, u guys are the realest!

Hit that follow/fave button if you'd like to keep updated on the story! =)

-jack montero


	18. Reaper's Global Campaign

_**Reaper's Global Campaign**_

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ , Reaper's flag-ship…

 **Aeolus** swiftly returned to **Reaper** to report what had happened in D.C. While the invasion was largely successful in decimating the core government of the United States, the mutate had failed in capturing **Phantom** , and knew that his master would disapprove of his retreat.

He wisped into the bridge, standing between **Moros** and **Tombstone** while waiting for **Reaper** to address him.

The **screaming effect** , the faint constant sounds of **anguish** that emanated from Reaper's presence, filled the room for a few brief moments before they were quickly **hushed** , and his master finally turned to face him with his bold red eyes glowing from underneath the skull-mask that once belonged to **Taskmaster**.

"Where is Phantom, **Aeolus**?"

The elemental mutate glanced at his fellow Vanguard mutates to his left and right before proceeding to answer.

"They e-escaped, master," his voice solemnly answered with the tone of a hoarse whisper. "They k-killed **Titan** in the process. I… I couldn't handle them all by myself."

"So, you ran?"

Aeolus nodded.

"I…I was scared, master."

Reaper had to remind himself that not every one of the original **Les Echets** mutates were adults. Some of them were also children, teenagers, not used to fighting by themselves. Despite their conditioning, they still had much to collectively learn.

Their master sighed, approaching Aeolus, sensing the rise of **fear** in the young mutate's elemental heart.

"I'm… I'm **sorry** , master," Aeolus pleaded. "I won't do it again, I promise!"

The bracer on Reaper's right forearm imbued with one of the **Infinity Gems** emanated brightly with a red-tinted form of electricity.

He was supercharging it.

"I know you won't, **Aeolus**."

He grabbed the elemental mutate by his throat and unleashed the full extent of his electrical blast, shocking Aeolus down to his core and forcing him to go into shock. In effect, the young mutate's elemental form temporarily reverted back into his **human form**.

After what seemed an eternity of torture, Reaper released his grip and Aeolus fell to the floor, **crying** in pain. Slowly, his cloud-like elemental form partially re-emerged, but he was still in shock.

"Take him away from my sight."

"Yes, master," Moros grabbed Aeolus by his leg that was still in flesh form and dragged him off to another part of the ship.

Reaper returned his attention to the dark horizon of Manhattan.

" **Tombstone**. Begin the next phase of our invasion. I want the targeted major cities around the **globe** under our control by the next sunset. **Now**."

Tombstone slightly bowed in obedience and stalked off to carry out his master's orders.

In orbit, **Asteroid M** prepared for the next wave of **Reaper Sentinels** that would strike **international cities** across the planet.

* * *

 _At_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

Alongside _**The Eidolon**_ , the five heli-carriers that assisted in evacuating **Washington D.C.** returned, two of them with their hull breached from extensive damage, and all of them having some **dead** amongst their crew from the battle against the mechs. The refugees were escorted to the two assigned platforms and their needs quickly facilitated.

With the invasion hitting other cities across the country, **Director Hill** ordered an entire battle group of heli-carriers to go assist. The ones that returned were fixed up by the maintainers and sent back to the skies to help evacuate more.

They had sent word before arrival so that once the team arrived, medical personnel were ready to escort **Fox** to the medical platform. **Phantom** watched as they rolled her away in a gurney, his thoughts weighing heavy on her.

 **Director Hill** , **Tony Stark** , **Steve Rogers** , and **Coulson** were waiting for them upon the medical team's leave.

"Phantom, **Specter Haven**. Welcome back," Hill sternly greeted.

"I wish we returned with better results," Phantom solemnly replied.

"You guys did what you could. With the **Super Electrode** plans in tow, we're a step closer to taking the fight back to **Reaper** ," Coulson assured them.

"But, we left **Fury**. He stayed to help the people **fight** ," Peter reminded them.

"We know. Despite my opinions of that, **Coulson** believes that it serves to benefit any form of resistance on the ground if Fury's the one leading them," Hill remarked.

Tony, through all of this, was just simply nodding.

"She's right. Cool. Whatever. Can I see the plans?"

Steve rolled his eyes.

Peter rummaged in his pockets and withdrew the external hard drive and handed it over to Stark.

"Thank **you** , Pete," Tony graciously took it, examining the drive.

"What was the situation like on the ground?" Steve quickly changed the subject.

" **Bad** , homie. Our hurt **Fox** should tell you that much," Firewalker coolly answered. "At least we took out one of **Reaper's punks**."

"I see you guys picked up some help," Coulson glanced over to **Frank** , **Daredevil** , **Luke** , and **Jessica** , who had grouped up separately next to the craft and were looking around the landing pad.

It seemed like they were still amazed that the entire base was **underwater**.

"Wait, is that?"

Peter happily nodded.

" **Yup** , that's **our** Luke! Hey, **Luke**! Come over here!"

Luke looked over and marched on over.

"Looks like **R.O.G.U.E.'s** moved up in the world," Luke kindly commented, still looking around.

"Mr. Cage, how are you?" Hill greeted, examining the young man's goatee.

Luke shrugged.

"I'm doing good, all things considering. I'm just glad I don't have to keep hiding anymore."

"You're definitely not a **teenager** anymore, that's for sure, Luke," Coulson joked, shaking his hand.

"It's good to see you too, Coulson," Luke chuckled.

 **Specter Haven** and **Spidey** followed **Tony** to a briefing room in the command platform. **Director Hill** and **Coulson** accompanied them. The others were given an informal "tour" of the base so that they knew their way around.

Tony inserted the drive into a laptop on this large wooden rectangular table and plugged in a holographic displayer.

Within moments, the holographic image of the **Super Electrode** popped up. Stark touched the hologram and began physically pulling it apart to reveal the parts that accompanied it.

"So, you mind explaining to us what this thing **is**?" Wolfe grunted, growing impatient.

"It's a bomb, homie," Firewalker whispered.

"You might as well get a nuke at that point."

Tony cleared his throat.

"Well, for **one** , **nukes** are **off** the table for the moment. **Two** , no, it's not **technically** a bomb. It's a **pulsator**. It's singular purpose is to shut off anything with **specific** electromagnetic traces. Old man **Howard Stark** wanted to use this to target specific enemy bombers back in World War II.

"It's extremely antique in design **but** , it's modifiable. Retrofitted with the right tech, I can get this thing targeting those machines and shutting them off for good."

"You sure it'll work?" Phantom skeptically asked.

"It's the best plan we have at the moment," Hill firmly answered.

"The less resistance we have going after **Reaper** , the better. This is just a step in the right direction," Tony added.

Peter raised his hand.

"Shoot, kid."

"How are you going to get it to **specifically** target those machines?"

Tony's lips quivered.

"That's where **you guys** come in. I need an inhibitor chip from one of those mechs. Preferably one of the big ones. That chip will give me everything I need," he answered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy. Even **if** we could, where would we find it on those things?" Wolfe interrupted.

"I can answer that," Hill walked over and removed the holographic blueprint of the **Super Electrode**.

She typed something on the laptop and the display switched to four different **versions** of the mechs that were being used for Reaper's invasion.

"What's this?" Phantom questioned, taking a closer look.

" **This** information is **why** Reaper began his attack when he did," Hill explained, "Shortly after the invasion of Manhattan started, we received reports that **S.W.O.R.D.** had conducted a secret infiltration mission to sabotage **Asteroid M** without S.H.I.E.L.D.'s knowledge."

"They were quickly **discovered** , and it led to a short-lived battle between the asteroid and S.W.O.R.D.'s fleet of deep-space heli-carriers that were stationed to protect the planet from it," Coulson added.

"Before S.W.O.R.D.'s forces were obliterated, a small craft escaped the asteroid in time with **these blueprints** stolen from a terminal they discovered inside. It pinpoints the **weak points** and critical technical readings of these things called ' **Reaper Sentinels** '," Hill elaborated.

"…and **that** forced Reaper's hand," Phantom concluded.

"Correct."

The specter made a noticeable sigh.

"There are **four** variations of these machines," Coulson began to explain, highlighting each one on the hologram.

The sky-scraper sized ones were **Juggernaut-Class Reaper Sentinels**. Their invasion protocol called for **at least four** to land in each major city and they're the most difficult to contend with. They have enough armor plating to withstand a nuclear detonation and the inhibitor chip is located between the two front eye sockets.

The small-building sized ones were **Cerberus** **-Class Reaper Sentinels**. A whole fleet of them were designed to attack and disrupt reinforced ground forces. They come in variations that match that of a tank or anti-air artillery.

The small humanoid-sized ones were the **Argo-Class Reaper Sentinels**. They've built **billions** of them on the rock and they have the ability to self-repair damages over time.

And lastly, was the **World-Ender**. According to the data, there was only **one** in their arsenal. It was the size of a city, towering several kilometers into the air. Both Hill and Coulson agreed that its purpose must be as a final contingency by **Reaper** in the event his invasion failed, and it stands as their greater threat. In the readouts, it was presumed to have the imbued abilities of the **Power Infinity Gem** , so that if it touched the Earth's surface, it would **decimate** all life on the planet.

"Beyond **Reaper** , one of our main priorities should be making sure this sentinel **never** reaches the surface of the planet," Hill concluded her brief.

Peter and Phantom looked at each other, realizing what was at stake now.

"We have a theory that if we **defeat Reaper** , we might be able to stop the **World-Ender** from activating. Since, we don't have any intel to suggest Reaper expects to perish at all," Coulson informed them.

"We mustn't underestimate him," Phantom warned, "This information at least helps us prepare ourselves for what's next."

"Agreed," Hill concurred, "We just need to…"

 _ **WARNING. WARNING. UNIDENTIFIED AIRCRAFT APPROACHING ALPHA BASE. WARNING. WARNING. UNIDENTIFIED AIRCRAFT APPROACHING ALPHA BASE.**_

Red lights and sirens were suddenly going off all throughout the base.

"Company!" Tony exclaimed, "Let's see who it is."

* * *

 _At one of the landing bays…_

"We've identified it as a **Blackbird SR-71** aircraft, ma'am, it's requesting permission to dock!" An agent informed Hill through her communicator.

"Bring me a team of agents to secure docking bay 2-14," she sternly answered.

From one of the corridors, **Frank** , **Daredevil** , **Luke** & **Jessica** appeared, following them to the docking bay.

"What's going on?!" Frank demanded, loading up his rifle.

"Bruh, how did you get that in here? I thought they had a **no-weapons** policy?" Firewalker questioned.

"You **really** thought I was going to give up my guns?"

"Good point."

"Who could it be?" Luke wondered.

"I guess we're going to **find out** ," Hill answered.

Once the craft safely landed and the entire docking bay was secured by several R.O.G.U.E. agents, they quickly identified who they were.

"It's the **X-Men** ," Phantom observed.

* * *

 _In the Main Command Room…_

 **Charles Xavier** had passed out into a small state of shock on the passage to Alpha Base. Luckily for **Wolverine** and **Gambit** , Phantom had transmitted the location to **Alpha Base** weeks prior for them to utilize in their rescue plan. Upon arrival, and assurances that they weren't enemies, they transported Xavier to the medical platform to ensure he was going to be okay.

In the command room of the main command platform, the **Avengers** (Tony, Steve, Dr. Strange, Natasha, Clint, Vision, Bucky, Scott, and King T'Challa), **Specter Haven** , the **X-Men** , and the ones that fought in **D.C.** all gathered up to review next steps.

Director Hill had explained to the newcomers that they were now a part of R.O.G.U.E.'s **Operation World Defense** and that they'll all be assigned to various missions across the world to disrupt **Reaper's Forces** and collect information on them while locating pockets of survivors to help evacuate them or build resistances.

"Are we going to get any support from the other countries?" Clint questioned.

"Probably not," Coulson quickly answered. " **Moscow** , **London** , **Paris** , and **Beijing** 's invasions have just begun. We've tried reaching out to their governments but, like **Manhattan** , a communications block has kept us from reaching them."

Frank calmly sighed.

"God, I'm starting to hate this war," he murmured.

"Join the club," Logan concurred.

"Our long-range scanners are reporting that another wave is approaching the atmosphere, the next cities to be hit are **Berlin** and **Tokyo** ," Hill pointed out, "We're going to need teams at both cities to assist in the evacuation. Stark's **Super Electrode** plan will also require an **inhibitor chip** from one of the Juggernaut-Class Reaper Sentinels."

Peter remembered that **Danny's** location was supposed to be in **Japan** , specifically somewhere near **Tokyo**. With the invasions approaching Tokyo, he knew it was the best opportunity (if not the **only** opportunity) to find him.

"Um, **Director Hill**? **Danny** is in Tokyo. I think if I went, with **Specter Haven's** help, we could find him," He spoke up.

Hill expressed a level of sternness towards Peter, as though she didn't expect him to speak up.

"We **also** have **Bruce Banner** in the vicinity," **Dr. Strange** added, "I agree with Peter. If we can get two more heroes on board with us through this venture, we only stand to gain."

"Who will go with **Specter Haven** , then? An Avenger?" T'Challa brought up the question.

"I'll go," **Strange** offered.

"And **me** , of course," Luke confidently pitched in.

"Shit, I'll go too," Frank lastly contributed.

Coulson expressed approval with the decisions.

"Looks like the Tokyo Team is ready to go, then. If you guys can leave now we can…"

Dr. Strange raised his hand to kindly stop Coulson's line of thought.

"No need, my friend. The **Sorcerer Supreme** has the power to open up portals across the world. We can be there in moments if need be."

The **Berlin Team** composed of **Captain America** , **Black Widow** , **Ant-Man** , and **The Winter Soldier**. Three R.O.G.U.E. heli-carriers were deployed within the region to evacuate citizens and so their mission was to protect those heli-carriers and stall Reaper's Sentinel Forces long enough for them to reach full capacity and retreat.

"What's the situation in **Wakanda** , your majesty?" Hill then formally asked.

"Quiet. For now. These invaders have not hit any of the major cities in **Africa** just yet. I fear once they receive information of our **vibranium** storages, they will hit our capital city," T'Challa gravely reported, "However, I have deployed four of my warrior battalions from our forces to aid in international efforts. With cooperation from the other nations around us, we will defend our **African** continent to the last man."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Coulson remarked.

"They've left **South America** largely intact as well," Natasha observed, glancing over at the global map.

"They're hitting the major superpowers to weaken the planet's defenses. No surprise there," Tony shrugged it off.

With the plan in tow, the teams split up to prepare for deployment. With **Dr. Strange's** mystical powers, they'll be able to teleport _**The Eidolon**_ into Japanese airspace without a hitch. He also offered to teleport the **Berlin Team** to Germany but added that they would have to handle their return flight alongside the three heli-carriers.

Before he left, Coulson made sure to tell Peter that **Aunt May** was safely evacuated from **New York** and that she was waiting to be transported to **Alpha Base** from a refugee contact center in rural upstate New York. It brought relief on Peter's mind, not thinking to check up on her when he arrived.

Of course, **Coulson** would know. Since they were still dating.

 **Wolverine** and **Gambit** added their intel on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mutant concentration facilities in South America and urged **Director Hill** to act. She promised to send in infiltration teams, but that South America would have to wait until after they acquired the **inhibitor chip**. This didn't please Logan, but it would have to do for now while Professor Xavier rested.

Before they departed, **Phantom** stopped by the medical platform to see how **Fox** was doing. She was still in a **partial-coma** , but the doctors notified him that she was healing faster than the average human and that she **should** be awake by the time they return from their mission. But warned that **anything** could occur with the level of injury she experienced.

"You better pull through this, Fox," Phantom softly told her, standing beside her bed.

"The team **needs you** …."

He hesitated.

"… **I need** you."

* * *

 _Early morning hours…In the streets of Tokyo…_

The **Japanese Government** sent out a state of emergency and ordered the evacuation of the **major cities** across the archipelago and for the citizens to **take shelter** in rural bunkers. The **Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force** , bolstered by the Pacific-stationed American military forces, quickly scrambled air defenses and prepared for imminent invasion.

On the ground, **Danny Rand** and **Master Izo** were following the panicked crowds of people towards evacuation buses that were being routed out of the city.

The chaos was maddening. People were trying to carry all their belongings, items of personal worth, and other worldly possessions. Some were praying in the streets, others were trying to stir up anarchy, but were quickly quelled by Japanese authorities.

"The **end** is **near** , Daniel-san," Master Izo solemnly stated, " **fear** has taken the hearts of these people."

"Do not say such things, Master Izo," Danny tried to assure him. "Perhaps this is all just a precaution, in the event the fighting comes here."

Suddenly, loud sirens starting going off and anti-air artillery were launching rockets up in the air. The crowds turned to look.

Through the darkened clouds, they could make out the silhouettes of the machines that they saw destroy **Manhattan** on their television sets. They hovered closer to the ground, with the rockets appearing to do **no damage** or deter them in any fashion.

"And here, the fighting has arrived," Master Izo calmly spoke.

They all looked up as the sky as **thousands** of the machines landed in the Japanese metropolis city of Tokyo.

* * *

 **Note**

Hey my dudes, another chap successfully posted! =D Like I've said before, plz keep an eye on the chap planning list on **Afe's** profile, I'll be keeping it as up to date as possible. Also, keep an eye out for a poll question I might post up there to get a feel for the story. I'd like to give a **shoutout** to my homie **The Story's Shadow** for his reviews and his advice. Homie's the realest, check out his stories if you haven't already.

Anyway, I'll leave with this question: is there any characters from **Marvel** you guys would like to see make a cameo appearance? Post them in ur reviews and lemme know! =)

hit that follow/favorite button if you're liking this story and let me know what I did good on and where I can improve on, massive thanx!

+++ I do my best to revise my chaps b4 I post them but PLZZZZ let me know if u catch any spelling/grammatical errors. thanks guys

-jack montero


	19. Invasion of Tokyo

_**Invasion of Tokyo**_

* * *

 _Back at Alpha Base…_

 **Peter** prepped up his gear, checked and double-checked for extra web caps, and made sure the electrical conduit on his suit was working. **Luke** joined him, wearing a modification of casual clothing to include black jeans and a soft yellow t-shirt. Luke insisted that he didn't need any armor when his skin was already **indestructible** to begin with.

From there, **Specter Haven** , **Spider-Man** , **Power Man** , **Punisher** , and **Dr. Strange** loaded up on _**The Eidolon**_ , which had been repaired and refueled by the maintainers working its docking bay, prepped and ready to deploy.

 **MJ** had decided to opt-out of her news room on-board _**The Eidolon**_ to consolidate information with **R.O.G.U.E.** before sending a broadcast out.

 **R.O.G.U.E.** also commissioned a trusted pilot to commandeer the cruiser, which did little to please **Wolfe** , who was getting used to the ship's controls. However, now that they had a pilot, it allowed the phantom hunter to go into the field with the team.

 **Dr. Strange** had just teleported the **Berlin Team** to Germany when he arrived at the docking bay, so all that had to happen now was for him to get them to **Tokyo**. Once the cruiser was in the air, out of the underwater base, the **Sorcerer Supreme** began working his magic, spinning his right hand while centralizing the his portal-generating powers with his **sling ring**.

Within moments, a circular portal with sparks lining it opened up into a night-time location with fires in the distance. The ship proceeded forward, entering **Japanese airspace** in the **Tokyo Bay**.

They watched the monitor screens on the command deck and saw the onslaught of **Reaper's Sentinel Forces** destroying the great city of **Tokyo**. From what they could tell, the invasion was still in its initial stages, judging by the absence of **Wraiths.** The gas hadn't been released yet.

"God. I hope **Danny's** okay," Luke solemnly expressed, "Look at **that**."

"Me too, **Luke** , me too," Peter concurred.

The ship specialists coordinated with the four incoming **R.O.G.U.E.** heli-carriers that were arriving into the vicinity. They identified only **one** sole point of evacuation that was feasible enough to land the life-ships at: **Haneda International Airport**.

It appeared that some planes were attempting to leave from the airport but were getting shot down by a **Juggernaut-Class Reaper Sentinel** that was parked at what was left of **Tokyo Disney** across the bay from the airport.

From what R.O.G.U.E. intel reported, there was a vast number of citizens taking refuge there and it was only a matter of time before **another Juggernaut-Class Reaper Sentinel** would arrive at the airport, slowly marching towards them from the **Ōta District**.

The heli-carriers deployed at least **six** life-ships each to land at the airport while providing cover-fire from the Reaper Sentinels. That was **Specter Haven's** cue to head to the cargo hold where the front ramp was located.

"Alright, team. We go in, we provide **cover** from any of the smaller sentinels and ensure as many civilians make it to the life-ships in time," Phantom briefed them, "any questions?"

Firewalker raised his hands.

"Yes?"

"Aren't we supposed to find **Iron Fist** and **Hulk**?"

"Don't worry about **Hulk** ," Dr. Strange assured him. "I'll search for him in the city through my astral form and hopefully, **hopefully** … he's still **Bruce Banner** and not **Hulk**."

"What if he's the Hulk?" Peter questioned.

"Lullaby magic tricks, a huge bag of cannabis..." Dr. Strange shrugged, "I'll think of something."

"And what about **Danny**?" Luke pressed the other part of the question.

"After the third wave of life-ships are at full capacity, we can see if we can triangulate his position in the city," Phantom answered. "Don't worry, **Peter** , **Luke** , I promised that your team will be reunited again. That's a promise I'm planning to keep,"

The two young heroes thanked him.

With that, _**The Eidolon**_ dropped them off and the first wave of life-ships landed at the airstrip of the airport, where a huge crowd of Japanese civilians ran towards them. R.O.G.U.E. specialists emerged from the life-ships to help coordinate them inside the ships.

The rest of them marched off to the terminals, where they determined they would make their defense to buy time for the civilians to escape.

* * *

 _In the streets of the Ōta district…_

The **R.O.G.U.E.** heli-carriers were visible from the streets of the nearby district. This immediately made the airport as the evacuation center. In effect, the crowds shifted their direction towards the airport, doing whatever they could to save themselves.

In the empty streets behind them, **Danny Rand** and **Master Izo** did what they could to buy the citizens enough time for them to get there safely.

With the power of the **Iron Fist** , Danny channeled his chi and unleashed a flurry of physical punches and kicks, taking down a lot of the human-sized **killer robots**.

The blind **Master Izo** held out his own too. Using only his powers of hearing, he knocked down the approaching mechs using an improvised **bo** staff from a street railing.

"What are these things?!" Danny questioned between engagements.

"I do not know!" Izo shouted back, "oh, how I miss the days where we fought men with swords!"

The streets forward began to empty as the citizens approached the airport, cuing them to move forward while continuing to slow down their advance.

"Master! What about the people in the other districts?! How will we save them?!"

"Look around you, Daniel-san! We must save **who we can** first!"

" **Every** life is important!" Danny retorted.

Suddenly, from behind a four-story apartment building, a giant mech ripped right through and concentrated its shoulder cannons on **Danny** and **Master Izo**.

"Now is a good time to run!" Izo warned, prompting the two heroes to sprint up the road towards the airport.

A column of red electrical energy burned right through the streets behind them, following them closely until they were finally out of range.

They took cover behind an overturned truck.

"There is no end to these things," Danny gasped, out of breath.

"You have the **Iron Fist**. What are **you** complaining about, young one?"

"That is **not** the point, master,"

Within earshot, they heard another wave of the human-sized robots begin attacking a store. But then, it sounded like they were being **sliced apart** by something.

Danny peeked over just in time to catch a **young woman** slam right through the wave of machines and pirouette in an elegant fashion, swinging her **katana** , and slicing whole groups of them in half.

This forced the young **Iron Fist** took a closer look at her.

She wore a small white hoodie, its sleeves pulled back to her elbows and complemented the hoodie with tight white jeans and black flats.

As she leaned back to dodge an attack, Danny saw that she was **Asian** , with straight long dark brown hair and brown eyes.

Finally, she finished off the last of them in the vicinity, and swiftly trained her katana on **Danny** , as he approached her out of cover.

"Stop right there!" She ordered, her voice light, yet demanding.

Danny raised peacefully raised his hands. He realized that she was **American**.

"I am not here to fight you, friend! My master and I are **both** trying to help the citizens evacuate to the airport!"

She hesitated to put down her weapon, but gradually did so when she realized they didn't stand to gain by lying to her.

"A group called **R.O.G.U.E.** is helping people get out of here on their heli-carriers. I had to get **this** ," she pointed at her katana, "…before heading out that way."

"I see. It is honorable to return for such a valuable weapon," Danny kindly remarked.

"It's been in my family for generations," She added.

Just then, they heard a building crumble nearby, which indicated that the larger machines were approaching their location.

"…But, I don't think it's the right time to talk about that. You said you two are heading towards the airport?"

"That is the plan," Master Izo sternly answered.

"Then you two can follow me, I know a detour there," She assured them.

"Very well," Danny glanced to his master then back to her, "Oh, I'm **Danny** by the way. This is my martial arts master, **Izo**."

She quickly flashed an uninterested smile.

"I'm **Colleen**. Let's get going,"

She led the way, keeping her katana handy. As she walked past them, Danny couldn't help but naturally glance at her rear.

"Your heart is racing, Daniel-san, is everything all right?" Master Izo blurted out.

Colleen glanced back, but Danny quickly straightened himself out.

"Just fine, master."

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _, hovering over the Hudson River…_

Reports from the **Reaper Sentinels** on the ground began to show signs of resistance across all districts of the main Manhattan Island. Although not initially alarming, a report that one of their **Cerberus-Class Sentinels** was brought down raised a suspicion, and so **Reaper** ordered a reinforcement of security across the island.

As the situation developed, **Moros** approached **Reaper** with an update from their global invasions.

"Master,"

"What is it, **Moros**? Good news, I hope."

"Our invasions in **Berlin** and **Tokyo** are proceeding steadily but…"

Reaper turned to face Moros with an angered stance.

"…but?"

" **The Avengers** and **Specter Haven** have attacked both sites. **Captain America** is leading a counterattack in **Berlin** and **Phantom** and **Spider-Man** are doing the same in **Tokyo** ," Moros solemnly reported.

Reaper noticeably sighed.

"I'm growing **tired** of bad news."

Moros waited for his master to gather himself.

"Very. Order **Goliath** and **Riptide** to **Tokyo**. I want Spider-Man and Specter Haven **eliminated**. But, bring **Phantom** to me **intact**. If they fail, tell them to not bother returning unless they wish to die a **painful death**."

"W-what about **Berlin** , my master?"

"Questioning my orders, **Moros**?"

"N-no, no, I'll send them out right away!"

Moros quickly took his leave before upsetting Reaper any further, calling on **Riptide** and **Goliath** to deploy to **Tokyo** to take care of the matter.

 **Tombstone** conjured the portal that gave the two mutates rapid passage to the other side of the planet within seconds.

With that, Reaper returned his attention to the Manhattan skyline to lose himself in his thoughts once more.

* * *

 _Back at the airport…_

The team split up upon reaching the main terminals of the airport, both the domestic terminals and the international terminal. **Luke** and **Peter** headed up the domestic terminals while **Wolfe** and **Firewalker** covered the other. Between the terminals, **Frank** and **Phantom** dispatched the incoming **Argos-Class Sentinels** as they circled the airstrips. To cover the most ground, they drove a military truck they found with a mounted .50 caliber machine gun in the bed.

While **Phantom** drove, **Frank** shot.

"I'm just **saying** , Cruz, it's obvious you **two** have a thing going on!" Frank shouted between volleys of bullets.

"I have **no clue** what you're talking about!"

"You and that **Fox** woman! Jesus, did you move on from **Maria** already?!"

A group of Argos-Sentinels tried to charge at the truck from behind but Frank withdrew his shotgun and blasted them away before they were able to do so.

" **Of course not**! It's just… we didn't quite exactly end on mutual terms! That is, after I lost my **daughter**!"

"Sounds like you're **complaining** , Cruz! Eighteen years later and you're still the **clueless** bastard I used to know!"

After clearing out most of the sentinels in the immediate area, they parked the truck near one of the terminals and Phantom ordered the team to regroup after ensuring the terminals were clear of sentinels. Luckily for them, there wasn't many inside the terminals to begin with.

"And **you're** still the same **mindless killing machine** I always knew," Phantom finally retorted.

"What's your point?"

"The world's changed, **Frank**. We're both just stuck in it."

"Ain't that the truth."

After about an hour, the others joined in with them at the front entrance to the International Terminal, the one closest to the city. There was still a vast number of people trying to enter and R.O.G.U.E. agents had caught up to the terminal to help them enter the airstrip and get into the remaining life-ships.

"There isn't enough room for **all** these people," Peter sadly pointed out, " **Alpha Base** won't have the capacity to hold all these people from this city alone."

"There has to be options," Luke suggested, "There's got to be a city or something that hasn't' been invaded yet or something where these people can take refuge in."

"Maybe."

"Where's Dr. Strange yo?" Firewalker inquired, looking around.

"He said earlier that he would be scouring the city in **astral form** to find **Banner** ," Phantom answered. "Judging by the lack of **raged destruction** so far, I think it's safe to say the **Hulk** hasn't emerged in him yet."

"Key word: **yet** ," Peter emphasized.

"How much longer until the life-ships are full?" Wolfe radioed in to _**The Eidolon**_.

"78% capacity and climbing," A specialist radioed back.

"They're almost full, boss."

Phantom nodded in acknowledgment.

" **Good**. Okay, Peter, Luke, we can start drawing out a plan towards the city to see if we can find **Iron Fist**. I suggest we start by…"

Suddenly, the entire area went silent. They looked over and watched the **Reaper Sentinels** across the city stand perfectly still, momentarily ceasing their attacks.

Wolfe pulled out a set of small binoculars from his pouch and took a closer look at the **Juggernaut-Class Sentinel** that was closest to them in the Ōta district, several blocks away.

"It's opening up vents on its armor," he observed. " **Shit**! The green gas is coming out of it!"

Without hesitation, they ordered everyone outside: **hundreds upon hundreds of citizens** , **into** the terminal to try and escape the gas momentarily. The clouds of green smoke filled every street and alleyway in its path.

After about twenty minutes, the gas receded but it was too late, the **Wraiths** had already been morphed from the population unable to escape and were being directed towards…

…you guessed it, the **airport**.

To make matters worse, the **Juggernaut-Class Sentinel** closest to them ceased its destruction and resumed its path towards the airport. A **Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinel** joined it in its march.

"Wolfe! Order up _**The Eidolon**_ , I want a precision strike against those two larger sentinels, see if it can buy us some time! Spidey, see if you can call up **Dr. Strange** , tell him we're running out of time," Phantom ordered.

"What about the **inhibitor chip**?" Peter quickly asked.

"We're going to worry about that once the **Juggernaut** is **here** at the **airport**!"

* * *

 _At the airstrip…_

"We're sustaining heavy damage from that **Juggernaut** across the bay!" The commander of one of the heli-carriers radioed in, "We won't last another hour! Our main shields are at 20%! **Specter Haven** , get those people on-board soon or we'll be obliterated!"

"On it, commander," Phantom answered, looking out at the crowds of people trying to get into the last few empty life-ships from inside the terminal at one of the gates.

They were panicking, running scared. Some of them shoving women and little children out of the way so that they can get into the ships first. A fight had broken out between two men in the crowd and it seemed to have ended with one of them knocked out or dead.

"We can't save them all," he was hard-pressed to observe.

Suddenly, he heard Spidey web-sling up to the gate.

"Phantom! We've got **bad news** , man! That **Cerberus** Reaper Sentinel is at the front of the terminal and it's about to tear us in!"

Quickly, the two of them rushed towards the front, where the others had set up a defensive line. But, it was falling apart, **quickly**.

The **Wraiths** stalked behind the **Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinel** that had centered itself in-front of the entrance to the terminal. With its main and auxiliary cannons, it started laying siege to the terminal, in an attempt to remove it out of its way to destroy the life-ships. It was causing the entire building to violently shake and both **Frank's** and **Wolfe's** weapons were ineffective in damaging it.

"Where's that precision strike?!" Phantom shouted his question as soon as he joined them.

"Communications block, boss! That stupid piece-of-shit sentinel is emitting it and we're **right** in front of it!" Wolfe shouted back, taking cover behind an abandoned military armored vehicle.

"We've **got** to stop it, guys! I can try moving forward and distracting it! I **should** be okay from its energy beams! Indestructible skin, remember?!" Luke suggested.

"I can then blind it with my smoke!" Firewalker added.

"And I can web-up its cannons and take it down!" Spidey concluded their plan.

Phantom wasn't convinced, but it was the only plan they had. While **Specter Haven** and **The Punisher** provided cover-fire, the others would try and disable the sentinel.

 **Luke** moved forward first, running **towards the front** of the Sentinel. It quickly ceased its siege and concentrated its more accurate beam strikes towards **Power Man**. It shot off a barrage of precision beams, which had missed for the most part but a stray beam actually **seared** Luke's arm, forcing him to take cover behind a wall.

"Shit!" He exclaimed, pressing his hand against the wound. " **Holy shit** , guys! This damn thing can **cut** through my skin! What…in the **hell**?!"

"Can you still move forward, big dawg?!" Firewalker questioned over the communicator.

"I can try… but…"

The **Cerberus-Class Sentinel** began marching forward, trying to close the distance between itself and **Luke** so that it can finish him off.

"Damn it, it's coming after me!"

"No worries, homie, I **got chu**!" Firewalker assured him, dissipating his human form into a huge cloud of black smoke and rushing towards the sentinel.

He whirled around the sentinel's head long enough to cause it to stop moving and concentrate its energy beams on the flaming specter.

After a few volleys, it realized that Firewalker was an **elemental** and so it switched gears and opened up its mouth to reveal a air **vacuum.**

It began to suck the smoke out of the air, thus effectively pulling **Firewalker** in!

"Oh no, he's in trouble," Spidey observed as he sprang into action.

He shot off several strings of webbing towards the sentinel's head and pulled back in an attempt to unbalance it.

Instead, the sentinel quickly reacted and pulled the strings off its head, knocking the web-slinger off. But, it ceased its vacuum and gave **Firewalker** enough time to ignite into flames and wisp away back towards the group.

"Jesus! That was close! My heart is still racing over here, yo! Thanks for that, web-head!"

"Don't… mention it..."

Spidey recovered from getting knocked off, shaking off his injuries, and rejoined the group. While Spidey and Firewalker tried to disorient the sentinel, Luke had enough time to return to the group as well.

"So, what now?" Frank inquired, continuing to fire off rounds at the sentinels head.

Phantom tried to think of a plan, but with the Juggernaut-Class Sentinel quickly approaching, they were running out of time and options before they became overwhelmed. He devised a final defense strategy where he'd charge towards the sentinel and try to use his bracers to disable it by blowing out its electrical systems.

But, before that occurred, they noticed a group of three people rush out from a service access tunnel to the left of the parking lot, about a football field's length away from the sentinel.

It was a young woman, a young man, and an elderly man.

"Damn it, civilians! Hey! Get out of the way!" Frank shouted.

Luke and Spidey **both** instantly recognized the younger fellow.

"That's **not** a civilian, guys," Peter pointed out.

The sentinel directed its attention towards them and charged up one of its main cannons on its right arm to fire off and eliminate them. Before it had the chance to do so, however, the young man's **right fist** began to glow a bright yellow glow.

In a matter of seconds, he swung his punch so hard at the sentinel's foot that it caused the foot to shatter into several pieces all at once. The Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinel fell backwards, disbalanced, and crushing the mob of Wraiths that was behind it.

"…that's **Iron Fist** ," Luke concluded.

* * *

 **Note**

Hey my dudes, another chap up for ur viewing experience! Hope this one meets expectations! I had a bit of trouble writing this chap and then the other work i have to study, but as i said b4, this train don't stop now! xD it's been on hold for too long am i right?!

anyway, let me know what yall think of this one, re-introducing the **IRON FIST.** it's been a long time coming. let me know what y'all think of colleen's entrance into the story as well.

anyway guys, thanks for ur continued support, it really means a lot, im massively humbled! =) shout out to the main reviewers, u guys are beast. and i'll conclude with these questions: how should the romance between fox and phantom develop? and what r ur expectations for the meeting between ava and peter?

let me know

shout out to **OfficialUSMWriter** and **Nobel Six** for their support, mucho love from this guy!

hit that fave/follow button if u wanna stay updated and read some more! let me know where i can improve and what parts yall liked best!

-jack m

++++++ i opened up a community within usm called **The Phantomverse - Earth 0819** to help archive afe's specific universe and hell, it opens up the possibilty of commissioning new writers to write diff parts of the universe. all a part of this "universe building" scheme I got goign on. but baby steps first. check it out when yall get the time if yall want to!


	20. Return of the Iron Fist

_**Return of the Iron Fist**_

* * *

 _In front of_ _ **Haneda International Airport**_ _…_

The surviving **Wraiths** that followed behind the downed **Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinel** quickly dispersed, focusing their attacks towards **Danny** , **Colleen** , and **Master Izo**. They rushed towards them, brandishing their claws and sharp teeth between disappearing and reappearing before them.

 **Colleen** took a stand and began slicing them apart one-by-one with her **katana** , splattering red blood all over her white outfit. **Danny** followed up behind her and focused his chi to amplify his punching attacks, strong enough to knock whole crowds of the mindless zombies back.

 **Master Izo** , fighting blind like **Daredevil** , dispatched the Wraiths quickly with his improvised bo staff. When his weapon fell apart, he ripped out the rims of nearby vehicles and began dishing them out like frisbees, knocking out Wraiths as they approached.

They caught a break between waves.

"Jesus, **how** did you do **that**!?" Colleen questioned, pointing at Danny's glowing yellow fist.

He nervously smiled.

"Uhm, **long story**."

"Uh- **huh**. You're one of those superhero-type guys, then?"

Danny glanced at Master Izo, who looked to be examining the bodies of the Wraiths… with his sense of hearing.

"I'm the immortal **Iron Fist** , Colleen," he quietly told her.

"Oookay, gotcha."

She seemed unconvinced.

"I'm serious!"

"Whatever, **Danny** ," she sighed, "I don't know what that even means but you've got powers. I know that for certain. Now, come on, it looks like they're still evacuating people, so…"

The three of them ran up the stairs to the airport and ran into **Spider-Man** , **Luke Cage** , **Specter Haven** , and… **Punisher**?

"G-guys?!" Danny exclaimed upon seeing them, "Peter? Luke?!"

Spidey removed his mask and glanced at Luke, the two of them uncontrollably smiling.

"Jesus, about time you showed up, ya **fortune cookie**!" Luke warmly commented as he leaned in for a brotherly hug.

"We were worried we were going to have to **search** for you!" Peter added, hugging Danny next.

"Man, it is… it is **so great** to see you guys again!" Danny felt relieved to say. "And **Phantom**? **Firewalker**? **Wolfe**? It is truly a family reunion here!"

"Don't forget little old me!" **Frank** sarcastically grunted from behind the group, "I know I **kill** people for a living but I'm a nice guy too!"

"It is an honor, person-I-have-never-met-before-but-kills-people!"

Colleen quickly interrupted.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… who are you guys?" She questioned.

Peter quickly explained who they were and what was going on. Frank and Phantom kept a close eye on the approaching **Juggernaut-Class Reaper Sentinel** that was still marching towards the airport. It was closing in **fast**.

"…and **that's** why we call him the **human fortune cookie**!" Peter finally concluded his explanation.

"Uh-huh…" Colleen skeptically answered.

"I thought that explanation was most amusing," Master Izo jokingly weighed in.

"I'm sorry," Colleen corrected herself, "With the city burning up, it's hard to believe **anything** right now."

Danny could hear the **fear** and **uncertainty** in her voice. He quickly pulled her aside to talk to her in private.

"I do not know what the plan is here, Colleen, but I would like for you to **come with us**. There is **no** doubt that you have the capabilities to fight these monsters. I think you would be a great asset if you were to fight with us!"

She pursed her lips.

" **Danny** , I just **met** you guys! I don't even understand how I got caught up in this whole mess! I was here just to spend some time off with some friends and… now they're gone. I don't know…"

"I understand," he solemnly answered, "at any rate, **I** will **make sure** you get to safety. You have my word."

"Thanks, Danny."

"You two sweethearts might want to get ready," **Frank** loudly expressed, keeping his alert gaze on the incoming sentinel, "once that big boy shows up here, we're in a world of hurt."

Luke explained the plan to remove the **inhibitor chip** from the sentinel's front optical plates to Danny and how it'll help out.

"Well, we can offer our help however we can," Master Izo assured him.

"Yes, we will acquire this **chip** ," Danny added.

While making sure all the civilians cleared from the area and within the airstrip, Peter's spider-sense rang off, and directed the team's direction towards the waterfront nearby.

* * *

 _Nearby…_

 **Riptide** materialized from the waves of the water next to the airport, his **skeleton-like** armor plating covering his entire body, and a dark metallic helmet in the shape of a **hammerhead shark's** head formed around to protect his head with a mask resembling a human skull in between the hammerhead's eyes.

 **Goliath** emerged from the water as well, having breathed through an air pocket provided by **Riptide**. The large **Titan** -like mutate towered at nearly **8 feet** tall with the same skeleton-like armor as the rest of the **Vanguard**. His helmet was in the shape of a **bear's head** and his left arm was a cybernetic arm with a blaster cannon attached.

They stalked towards the entrance of the airport, where they met face-to-face with **Specter Haven** and **Spidey's Team**.

"More of **Reaper's** bitches…" Firewalker murmured.

"When will they ever learn?" Wolfe added.

" **Phantom**!" Riptide bellowed in a deep and scaly tone of voice.

"Riptide, Goliath. A pleasure," Phantom calmly greeted as he approached them with his sword withdrawn.

Goliath chuckled under his breath.

Riptide raised his hand to alert Phantom to cease approaching them.

"Enough of the formalities. **Reaper** wants your head on his ship."

"Ohhhh, so he sent the **stronger bitches**. That makes sense!" Firewalker called out.

"For what?" Phantom sternly questioned, "He gains **nothing** by killing me or keeping me hostage."

"That's **not** my problem," Riptide shook his head, "Look, unlike my counterpart **Goliath** here, **I** am a man of reason. Come with us **peacefully** or I will drown all your friends in the largest **tsunami** you've yet to witness."

"Of that I don't doubt."

Phantom didn't believe him for a second. Riptide's olive branch echoed the same one that **Titan** had offered him in **Washington D.C.** Knowing how **Reaper** and his **Vanguard** operate by preying on people's good faith and exploiting it, Phantom kept his stance on not going with them.

"Don't be **foolish** , **Phantom** ," Riptide warned, "Look around you. Your **world** has fallen. And this…"

Riptide pointed at the destruction.

"…doesn't stop with the invasion or the **Vitruvian Destiny**. No. If I were you, I'd come with us and perhaps you may have a chance to parley with my master to spare the infestation that is humanity."

Phantom calmly chuckled.

"Did I say something funny, Phantom?"

Phantom could sense **Spidey's** approach towards the edge of the wall next to the two Vanguard mutates. He was preparing for an attack on one of them.

"I've got that hammerhead-runt in my sights, just say the word, boss," Wolfe whispered over the communicator.

That meant that Wolfe had disappeared and had his rifle trained on Riptide.

"I find it amusing that you would lead to believe that I have **any** chance on convincing **Reaper** to end this," Phantom answered, chuckling once more.

"I speak the **truth** ," Riptide firmly assured him.

Phantom gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. Goliath's glowing yellow eyes beamed brighter underneath his helmet upon noticing.

"I believe you," Phantom finally answered, "But, as I've told **Titan** , **I'm not going anywhere**."

Riptide withdrew his trident.

" **Now**!" Phantom ordered.

Within a split second, the sound of a gunshot was heard, and a bullet completely shattered the right side of **Riptide** 's face and helmet.

 **Goliath** , slowly reacting to the situation, had his arms webbed down by Spidey's **electric webbing**. Once the web-slinger activated them, Goliath cried out in pain.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Firewalker cheered.

"Let's not prematurely celebrate, now," Frank warned, rushing towards the downed Vanguard mutates.

Suddenly, the entire area began to shake. They all looked up to see the **Juggernaut-Class Reaper Sentinel** finally arriving and standing directly **in-front** of the international terminal of **Haneda Airport**.

Spidey glanced over towards the airstrip and saw that they were **still** loading up the last of the life-ships.

"It's going to start attacking them!" He exclaimed.

Riptide slowly recovered from his wound and looked over to Phantom, holding his face with his left, and training his trident on Phantom with his right.

"I **warned** you, Phantom,"

With that, he returned to the sea, disappearing within it. They all assumed that this mean that Riptide was going to drown the entire area in a giant tsunami.

Before they could react, **Goliath** ripped out of the webbing and roared in anger. Withdrawing his blaster cannon and shooting it sporadically after the team. They all took cover behind the concrete walls of the parking lot.

"Shit! We've got a **Juggernaut and** a **Goliath** to deal with," Luke sighed, "God damn, it was easier when we were dealing with bad guys in alleyways in New York!"

"You can say that again, my old friend!" Danny concurred.

"I was in **war** and I'd rather be in **war** than in the **apocalypse**!" Frank angrily shouted, reloading his SCAR-L rifle.

"Do we have any plan on dealing with this?!" Colleen questioned, gripping her katana tight.

"If I remember the dossiers on the original **Les Echets** mutates," Phantom explained, " **Goliath** is the one whose size **increases** as he gets angrier."

"Jesus Christ," Frank sighed, "Where's the **Hulk** when you need him?!"

"Let me see if I can raise **Dr. Strange**! Hopefully we get some good news!" Spidey tapped his communicator.

Static quickly returned, followed by…

" **No**! I **don't** have **good news**! Clear out! Quickly! I wasn't able to calm him! I'll be there in…" Dr. Strange's voice cut off.

The loud sound of a raging **roar** was heard coming from the city.

The team put two and two together and realized that **Bruce Banner** had morphed into the **Hulk**.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…" Firewalker groaned, "Here we go!"

Phantom told him to hush.

"Just stay put! We'll figure out a way to…" Phantom tried to direct but was interrupted by **Goliath**.

The Vanguard mutate blasted away the concrete wall and grunted a series of unclear sounds while swinging his right fist to try and hit one of them as the team dispersed.

"Big boy is **growing**!" Luke observed as he ran off with Danny in one direction.

Suddenly, the **Juggernaut** began firing off a series of powerful energy beams at the heli-carriers. It was trying to destroy them.

Phantom radioed in the commander of the lead heli-carrier.

"Commander, you're getting bombarded out there!" Phantom greeted.

" **You think**?! Jesus Christ, Phantom! We're being hit on **both sides** now! Our shields are down to 5%! We won't last another ten minutes! We're ordering those life-ships up **now**! We need to get the hell out of here!"

Dr. Strange patched through the communications.

" **Commander**. I can teleport your heli-carriers back to Alpha Base if you maintain your course!" He suggested, "Get those last crowds of people on-board! Do **not** abandon them!"

"God damn it!" The commander griped, "Fine…Don't let us down, **Strange**!"

"Don't worry, commander," Dr. Strange assured him.

" **Strange**! What's the status on the **Hulk**?!" Phantom quickly inquired.

"He's getting attracted by the activity in your position. I told you guys to take cover! He should be there any moment now!"

Coincidentally, he was. The **Hulk** flew into the scene out of nowhere like a raging green missile and jumped on Goliath's back, beginning to tear into the armor plating on the Vanguard mutate.

 **Specter Haven** quickly jumped in, attempting to shoot off the plating off **Goliath** to give **Hulk** a chance to full-on fight him. They had to be quick, though, as Goliath's size was steadily increasing with each punch **Hulk** inflicted. Adversely, **Hulk** was growing **angrier** with each hit as well.

With them preoccupied, that left the rest of them to deal with the **Juggernaut**.

"We need that **inhibitor chip** ," Luke pointed out.

"Yep," Spidey nodded.

"It's up there in the Juggernaut's head."

"Yep."

"It's like… a hundred stories high…"

"Yep."

"Any ideas?" Danny interjected.

"That thing has a detection range that shoots anything off that comes close," Spidey observed, "But… if something were to **cling** onto it?"

"What are you saying, webhead?" Luke questioned.

The idea was outlandish, but like every other plan, it was the **only** one they had. It was also quite simple: **Danny** piggybacks off **Luke** while **Luke** climbs **up** the Juggernaut's body. Once they were close enough, Danny can reach up and **punch** the inhibitor chip out of the Juggernaut.

Spidey would jump in to save the two of them before they fell a hundred stories to a painful landing.

Like I said…

 **Outlandish**.

* * *

 _Several stories up in the air…_

Luke and Danny began their gradual ascent towards the head of the **Juggernaut**. They realized quickly that the damn sentinel was bigger than they expected, but there were ridges along the side of its armor that gave Luke the ability to scale it rather easily. The problem was getting to the space between the optical plates of the sentinel from the neck. It was just a huge slope.

 **Dr. Strange** stayed true to his word and opened up a **giant** portal back to Alpha Base's waters. The heli-carriers, although **heavily** damaged, were able to round up the last of the remaining citizens on the airstrip and return to Alpha Base within a few minutes.

Adversely, **Dr. Strange** opened himself up as a target. The Juggernaut began attacking **him**. He used his mystical arts to provide enough shielding power to distract the Juggernaut but urged the team on the ground to take it out as soon as possible.

Luke grunted in pain as he reached out another way's up the Juggernaut.

"Remind me to **kill** web-head after we get back down,"

"You are doing **well** , my friend. We are almost there," Danny encouraged him.

"Easy…for you… to say!"

"Has life been treating you well, my friend?"

"Not the best…time, Danny! But, it's been… good!" Luke stopped to catch his breath, "It would've been better if I had a meditation session every now and again."

"I have had **plenty** of those, **believe me**. After we split up, I went into **exile** to find myself again. **Master Izo** was teaching me a new path of finding strength in conflict and pain."

"Sounds… pretty dark… Danny!"

"Ah, you should have been there, Luke. I learned how to use my rage and anger into tools for peace."

"Danny!"

"Yes?"

"We're almost… there! Get ready!"

At last, they reached the **neck** of the Juggernaut. It was still distracted and concentrated on attacking **Dr. Strange** , upping its strikes with each passing minute.

Below them, **Specter Haven** , **Punisher** , **Colleen** and **Master Izo** were busy trying to help **Hulk** take down **Goliath** , grateful for the fact the **Hulk's rage** was directed at their enemy and not them!

"Okay, Luke, please **don't look down** ," Danny calmly warned as he stood up on Luke's shoulders, "I would scale mountains higher than this with less clothing in **K'un-L'un**. This will be easy."

Luke made the mistake of looking down for a split second, closing his eyes in fear and gripping the ledge even tighter.

"God, I hope this thing doesn't realize we're on its face!" Luke exclaimed.

Danny quickly shushed him and made a light jump up and gripped the "brow" ledges above the optical plates of the sentinel. Using only the strength in his legs, he positioned himself squarely in front of the inhibitor chip box.

"Let us see here."

Danny used his strength to rip off the covering of the box, revealing the bright laptop-sized **inhibitor chip** inside. It looked like it was **melted into** the machine to prevent anyone from taking it. He used his strength to rip it out but it wasn't budging.

While doing so, he glanced over to the ocean beyond the airport and saw the **largest tidal wave** heading towards them from the mouth of the Tokyo Bay. His eyes widened in shock.

"Hey…Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell Peter we are going to need that rescue like… **now**!"

"What are you talking about?" Luke questioned, looking up.

Danny pointed at the ocean and Luke made yet again the mistake of looking.

"Call Peter, **now**!"

With that, Danny focused his chi and **punched** the **inhibitor chip out** of its mounting, causing it to fly off the face of the Juggernaut and instantly **immobilizing** the machine.

"…Damnation!" Danny exclaimed as he watched the chip fall.

The Juggernaut lost power and began to slowly lean backwards as it was about to fall. Luke called Peter **just** in time for Peter to swing in and grab the **inhibitor chip** before it was lost. **Dr. Strange** opened up a portal **below** Luke to catch him and Danny from falling. They **both** ended up **inside** _ **The Eidolon**_.

On the ground, **Goliath** was now the size of a small building, still contending against the ever-aggressive **Hulk**. In the process, **Hulk** had managed to **rip off** Goliath's cybernetic arm, using it to shoot Goliath's armored legs.

"We need to bug out, Phantom," Dr. Strange appeared out of a portal next to the team.

"What are you talking about?! We almost got 'em!" Frank shouted back, but Phantom knew what Dr. Strange was referring to.

"Riptide unleashed a tsunami?"

"I'm afraid so," Dr. Strange answered.

Quickly, he conjured up a portal **into** the cruiser.

"Everyone in. **Now** ," Dr. Strange politely ordered.

Without hesitation, **Specter Haven** rushed inside. **Colleen** and **Master Izo** did as well.

Of course, **Frank** shot off a couple rounds at Goliath before running inside as well.

"Wait! What about **Banner**?!" Phantom questioned from inside the portal.

Dr. Strange ignored the question and closed it before answering.

"Let me handle **Banner** ," He simply stated, hovering up to the aggressive giants.

He gestured an incantation with his fingers and opened up the **Eye of Agamotto** , revealing the ever-so elusive **Time Infinity Gem.**

A bright light covered **Hulk** and forced the two of them to freeze in time. Strange then utilized a mystical interface to trace back time, specifically on Hulk, forcing him to revert back to **Bruce Banner** , **hours** before the invasion began.

Once Bruce Banner had returned, he opened another portal with his sling ring and **pushed** the scientist into it. Before he joined him, he took one last glance at Goliath and released the Vanguard mutate from the time freeze, closing the portal behind him.

* * *

 _Inside The Eidolon…_

"Get us out of here!" Dr. Strange ordered the pilot, gesturing another portal to open up in front of the ship with his sling ring.

As _ **The Eidolon**_ departed from the Japanese airspace, the team watched as **Riptide's** tsunami completely flooded **Tokyo** , drowning it into the sea. **Goliath** was erroneously caught in the water and he was swept away by the tides.

* * *

 **Note**

Hey my dudes! Another chap down! And with that, we reached the **1/3 mark** through the story and **ahead of schedule**! Woohoo! =D So, another week ahead of us, I know u fellas are getting excited for **INFINITY WAR** , am I right?! Whether y'all watch it on the day of or on the weekend, i hope yall have a good time, have fun, get some ideas for ur nex stories, and just have a good time, guys. lol. I'm goin with some friends friday so wish me luck getting past the crowds!

+++ I'm working with **The Story's Shadow** , **OfficialUSMWriter** , and **Nobel Six** on parts of these stories, thank u guys for all ur advice, for real, i'm humbled and it only helps me get better and this is the type of feedback i need, thanks guys!

let me know what yal think of this chap, sorry it's a little long, jsut action packed! =O hit that fave/follow button if u wanna read more and keep an eye on the **chap planning** on Afe's profile and keep an **eye** out for a poll question i'll be droppin soon

peace, love, and french fries y'all, happy sunday,

jack m


	21. Unwavering Insecurities

_**Unwavering Insecurities**_

* * *

 _In the aftermath of the flood in_ _ **Tokyo**_ _…_

 **Riptide** emerged from the waters after he forced them to recede, leaving the entirety of the metropolis of **Tokyo** in ruins. No doubt some survived, but the **Wraiths** had been wiped out, along with some of the **Reaper Sentinels**.

While stalking the streets, Riptide came across **Goliath's** corpse. The giant mutate had returned to normal size but had drowned in the tsunami. While Riptide knelt to examine the body, a **portal** appeared behind him.

He turned to see **Moros** and **Tombstone** emerge from on-board _**Vengeance**_.

"What do **you two** want?" Riptide coldly questioned, returning his attention to Goliath's corpse.

" **Reaper** demands an update, Riptide," Moros sternly answered, glancing around the area.

"I haven't captured Phantom yet."

" **Obviously**. What the **hell** happened here?"

"I flooded the city to try and flush them out," Riptide sighed, "I didn't count on **Dr. Strange** being here to teleport them out of here. **Goliath** was caught in the tide."

Tombstone and Moros glanced at each other once they heard this.

"You **killed** Goliath?"

"Don't spin my words, **Moros**. I've taken enough of your nonsense back in Manhattan, I won't let you dictate my mission now!"

Moros raised his hands in a gesture to calm his fellow Vanguard mutate.

" **Peace** , Riptide. Peace. We are on the same side here."

"I often question that," Riptide scoffed.

"I see. Regardless, you understand your mission. **Do not** return without **Phantom** ," Moros firmly warned, gesturing to Tombstone to open up a portal back to Manhattan.

"It will be done," Riptide scolded him, "That is, **if** the **Vanguard** would just allow me to pursue Phantom on my own."

"Do what you must, Riptide. It is not **I** who you have to answer to should you choose to fail."

With that, **Moros** and **Tombstone** returned to their master on-board _**Vengeance**_ , leaving Riptide to choose what to do next.

With the **Reaper Sentinels** still operational in the city, Riptide returned to the sea to see if he can **hunt** Phantom's last known traces.

 **Reaper** , on the other hand, once notified of **Riptide** and **Goliath's** failure, opted to choose a subtler plan of subversion towards **R.O.G.U.E.** and their operations.

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

After _**The Eidolon**_ landed safely alongside the heavily damaged heli-carriers from **Tokyo** , the team departed the craft and began making their way towards the command platform.

Walking by the refugee platforms, they saw **hundreds of thousands** of **refugees** be routed from the heli-carriers and towards medical personnel and administrative specialists to examine them and log them into their systems. After that, they would be given room and board and food passes for the giant mess hall they installed specifically for the refugees.

To see **R.O.G.U.E.** handling this issue was inspiring, given the situation.

"They'll run out of space here soon," Phantom solemnly pointed out on their way.

"You think so?" Peter worriedly asked.

The specter nodded.

"This underwater base wasn't designed to shelter people. They're going to need an alternative location, **fast**. They can only hide out here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for **so long**."

"Maybe there's a place that hasn't been invaded yet? A place that's safe?"

"I don't know, Peter. We're running out of those places fast."

While waiting for R.O.G.U.E. agents to clear them into the next platform, **Danny** instructed **Colleen** and **Master Izo** to join the other refugees while he figured out what was going on.

"I will be **just fine** , Daniel-san. So long as there is **tea** here," Master Izo assured him.

"I appreciate it, master," Danny bowed, glancing over at Colleen.

"So, I guess this is where we depart, right?" She hesitantly asked.

"It is so, Colleen. Thank you for helping us out back there in Tokyo. You are one of the most graceful warriors I have ever met, and I have met many."

She blushed.

"Thanks."

"It has been an honor," Danny politely bowed.

As he turned to walk away with the rest of the team…

"Danny, **wait**!" Colleen called out.

"Yes?"

"Let me go settle down and get something to eat. Maybe I can still be of some help to you guys," she kindly offered.

Danny couldn't help but smile.

"I would like that! I mean, **we** will accept any help you can provide."

Luke and Peter snickered, watching the two of them talk.

"Come on, **fortune cookie**!" Luke jokingly shouted out.

"Ha, I remember when **I** wooed my wife like that!" Wolfe cackled.

"I… I **don't** even wanna know," Firewalker commented on that.

With that, the team entered to an **extremely busy** command platform. **Director Hill** and **Agent Coulson** were monitoring their continued support of resistances all across the globe against **Reaper's Sentinel Forces**. They had managed to slow down the advances in most of the major countries, but consistent encounters with **S.H.I.E.L.D.** forces have degraded their evacuation priorities.

Beside them, **Tony Stark** and **King T'Challa** stood to monitor the progress on the **Berlin Team**.

Hill finally spared herself enough time to speak with the team directly.

"Great job in **Tokyo**. We're counting into tens of thousands that we've saved from that rescue. We've retrieved **Bruce Banner** , who is resting in the medical platform now, **and** we've retrieved the **inhibitor chip**. That is a victory so far," she confidently told the team.

"There are **13 million** people that live in **Tokyo** , Miss Hill," Danny solemnly interrupted, "What we saved was only a **small fraction**."

Coulson stepped forward to shake Danny's hand.

" **Mr. Rand** , it's **great** to have you back with us."

"Thank you, Coulson," Danny graciously acknowledged him, "I am afraid that we may be too late to save the citizens of **Tokyo** , however. I am here to see what are **R.O.G.U.E.'s** next steps."

"We're trying to figure that out ourselves," Peter added.

"We'll discuss that further once the **Berlin Team** comes back," Director Hill sternly answered, "We are monitoring their progress now. They saved a good number of civilians and from my understanding they picked up some additional help. They should be back soon."

"For now, you guys have **earned** a rest," Coulson added, "Go get some food. Your quarters are next to Specter Haven's in the billeting platform. We'll send for you when we need you."

"But first," Stark stepped in, "I **do** believe you guys have something for me."

Peter nodded and brought out the **inhibitor chip** , handing it over to Tony.

Tony examined it for a moment, manipulating the chip to study it a little more extensively.

" **Please** tell me you can work with that, homie," Firewalker sternly commented.

"Remember who you're talking to, **homeboy** ," Tony remarked, "I built a **car** when I was **6**. I think I can work with this."

"Get to work, **Stark** ," Director Hill coldly ordered him.

Tony grinned, glancing back at the team.

" **Thanks, guys**. This will save lives, you'll see,"

With that, he walked off with the chip, leaving only **T'Challa** behind as far as the Avengers went.

"Oh, and Phantom?" Director Hill quickly added, " **Fox** is conscious from what the medical staff have told me. I thought you'd like to know."

"Thank you, Director Hill."

Phantom turned back to the team.

"I suppose I should go talk to her."

"You **suppose**?" Peter jokingly remarked.

"Jesus, Phantom. Go talk to the woman and see how she's doing," Wolfe grunted.

"Ask her if she'd mind if you 'healed' her, if you know what I'm saying?!" Firewalker joked but was met with a bash on the head from Wolfe.

The rest of the team returned to the billeting platform while **Phantom** headed off to the medical platform to see how **Fox** was doing. He kept hesitating, wondering if he should've found some **flowers** or something to greet her with.

* * *

 _At the medical platform…_

Phantom politely waited outside for the doctor to finish explaining the dosages for Fox's medication for the next few weeks. Even though the sliding door was closed, he could still hear what the doctor was telling her.

Once he was done, he entered.

 **Fox** was sitting up in her hospital bed, her long dark brown hair a mess and her face still blotched with bruises from **Titan** 's attack. But, she looked healthy enough apart from that. She finished drinking her first dose of medication with water when she saw Phantom approach her, prompting her to warmly smile.

"How'd I know **you'd** be the **first** to see me?" She kindly joked.

Phantom calmly chuckled, standing next to her.

"Well, **I am** the leader of this team. It's my responsibility to check on my teammates," he confidently answered, "How are you feeling?"

Fox scoffed.

"I'm doing **fine**. **Honestly**. These doctors are exaggerating because they don't realize I heal faster than the average human. I might not regenerate on the spot like **you** can, but it doesn't take me **six months** to recover from this."

"They're just being cautious. Can you blame them?"

"I guess I can't."

Phantom glanced over and pulled a chair close and sat next to her. Fox examined the state of his armor and his gear as he sat, noticing that he still hadn't cleaned up from his last mission.

"Director Hill told me you guys went to **Tokyo**? How did **that** go?"

Phantom explained the state of the situation in **Tokyo** and how they had to face off with more of **Reaper's Vanguard**. He explained how they ran into **Iron Fist** and **Hulk** and how they escaped by the skin of their teeth before the city was hit by **Riptide** 's massive tidal wave.

"Jesus," Fox sighed, "This isn't ending anytime soon, is it?"

"I'm afraid not."

Fox glanced over and just simply smiled.

"Well, we're not going to stop fighting, right?"

"Until we're all dead? Nope. We're not stopping."

"Good."

She reached over and grabbed her water bottle to take another sip. Phantom noticed that her bruises extended to more than just her head. It was **all over** her body, based off the parts that were visible.

Phantom stood up and closely examined her.

"My **God** , **Fox** , this doesn't look okay."

"I'm **fine** , **tonto** ," she sternly answered, "It hurts a **little** , but… I'll be fine!"

"I know, I know. I'm just… I'm **worried** about you."

This caught Fox's attention.

"Why? Phantom, these things **happen**."

"I know, but. It happened to **you**. **Firewalker** can manage, and so can **Wolfe** , but **you** … I wasn't prepared to have you get hurt like that. And… **I'm so sorry** that I couldn't stop **Titan** in time."

Phantom held his head low.

Then, he felt **Fox's** hand reach for his.

He looked up and saw her beaming at him.

"Phantom, **I'm** the one who charged after **Titan**. I **should've** waited until you guys were ready to help. It was **my fault**. **Not yours**. Don't blame yourself for that."

"It doesn't change the fact that you're here, Fox."

"And **I'm healing**! I'm just grateful that I'm not **dead**!"

"God," he murmured. "I don't want to imagine what I would've done then…"

"Well, guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm **not dead**. Which means you're going to have to try **a lot** harder than that to get rid of me," she softly told him.

He softly chuckled.

"Who said I'm trying to?"

"Are you?"

"Not at all."

"Good," Fox smiled. "Because **I** don't want to go anywhere if **you're** not there with me."

Fox couldn't sense it, it took **Phantom** a while himself to realize that his heart was beginning to beat even faster after hearing her say that. Likewise, so was hers.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about what might happen next as far as the invasion goes, coming up with new ideas of how to implement the junior mutates of **Specter Haven** into the fight and where the fight might take them next. She also remarked that she was going to have to make another katana after **Titan** destroyed one of them.

By the end, Phantom felt himself not wanting to leave her side. He was enjoying their talks and their jokes. For the first time since the invasion started, he didn't feel like the world was completely ending.

He was feeling something he hadn't felt in over **eighteen years** , and he was afraid of feeling it all over again.

* * *

 _In a lounge at the billeting platform…_

After showering up and getting something to eat, **Peter** , **Luke** , and **Danny** lounged about at one of the lounges sprawled across the billeting platform where the agents can relax, watch television, or just talk and read a book. They were busy catching up after everything that had happened.

"So, I told **Master Izo** , 'geez, master, for a man as old as you, you **really** can down a keg!'" Danny exclaimed in laughter amongst his friends.

"Jeez, I bet the old man can really drink!" Luke laughed.

"He really can, my friend! The man drinks **Sake** like there is no tomorrow!"

As they calmed down, they switched the tone to a more serious one.

"So, let's be real, guys, is this **really** the end of the world?" Luke inquired, glancing at both his friends.

"God," Peter sighed, "I hope not. I've spent the last two years living like **shit** and **just** as I'm getting the gang back together, the world decides to go to hell."

"As have I, missing you two and the rest," Danny added, "As far as the end of the world goes, I am not sure. Ancient texts in **K'un-L'un** once predicted the end to arrive as death sweeping across the land in the form of **plague or fire** , but I have yet to see it come true."

"Did those texts say anything on how to stop it?"

"They would not have predicted the end if they had a solution, Peter."

" **Shit**. Well, I guess we've just got to cherish every moment we've got left, then," Luke pointed out, "Still, I hope we get the chance to **beat the shit** outta **Reaper** before we all get wiped out."

"That would be nice!" Danny agreed.

"We getting the rest of the crew together, right Pete?"

"Right. I know where **Ava** is but I don't know about **Sam**. **Dr. Strange** says he's off-Earth."

"Sounds about right. Ol' bucket-head did say that if he wasn't working with **S.H.I.E.L.D.** , he'd be back with the **Guardians of the Galaxy** , several lightyears away."

"Is there a way we can perhaps send a message out to him?" Danny wondered.

Peter shook his head.

"We can try, but I don't think it'd reach him in time," Peter sadly answered.

"I have a feeling he'll come back," Luke suggested, "might be wishful thinking, but I think he'll come back."

"Let us hope so," Danny agreed, "Where is **Ava** , Peter?"

"She's in **Brazil** , somewhere near **Rio** **de Janeiro**. I don't know what she's doing down there but I'm fixing to find out **really soon**."

"I am sure she is alright, my friend. And, I am **sure** she still feels the same for you as you do for her. Love is a powerful thing, Peter. Love is something you and Ava shared and it **will** not falter."

"Thanks, Danny, I appreciate that."

"Anytime."

"Speaking of which," Luke quickly brought up, "What's up with you and that **Colleen** chick?"

Danny subtly smiled.

"She is a graceful warrior. What is there to say?"

"I don't know, you seemed **pretty** into her, Danny," Peter emphasized.

"Nonsense! I admire her fighting skills, nothing more."

"Uh-huh…"

"If only **Sam** were here, he'd get the truth out of you yet, mister fortune cookie," Luke egged him on.

"I fear Sam may be trying to **date** Colleen were he here. Fortunately, I do not believe she is his type."

"You **believe** or you **hope**?" Peter questioned.

"Okay, so I **may** find her attractive. But, that is where that interest ends, I assure you both!"

"Aha! He admitted it!" Luke laughed.

Danny rolled his eyes.

Peter had missed hanging out with his friends like this. Although **Ava** and **Sam** were missing, it was great to have **Danny** and **Luke** there, through all the troubles they found themselves in. For the next few hours, Luke and Peter explained to Danny about what they were up to in the past two years. Danny talked about his adventures through **Japan** with **Master Izo** and how each lesson taught him something new and made him a better **Iron Fist**.

* * *

 _On the command platform…_

Finally, the call went out in the early morning hours and **Director Hill** ordered everyone on the command deck.

 **Captain America** had returned with the **Berlin Team** , rescuing well over another few tens of thousands of people who were also being housed with the rest of the refugees at **Alpha Base**. He described the onslaught from the **Reaper Sentinel Forces** (whom they abbreviated **RSF** ) and how their **Aven-Jet** was almost destroyed upon escaping.

In the process, however, they picked up a new "recruit", a masked superhuman vigilante that called himself **Black Marvel**. Steve vouched that he had fought alongside his grandfather in WWII, with **Omar Mosely**. The recruit they picked up was **Omar Mosely III** , who donned the mantle of **Black Marvel** after his father.

With everyone, including the junior mutates of **Specter Haven** in the command room, they were ready to go over the next steps of both **Operation: World Defense** and **Salvation**.

They identified that for the next couple of weeks (possibly), they would have to ramp up efforts to **slow** down the sentinel forces in all the major cities as well as prevent them from attacking rural areas across the globe where evacuation sites were being set up.

With that in mind, the question was **where** these refugees were going to go. The platforms they had set up are near bursting capacity and soon they won't be able to save anymore people.

"Bring them to **Wakanda** ," **King T'Challa** suddenly offered.

Everyone looked at him.

"Your majesty, I don't wish to burden your people with this," Director Hill politely declined.

T'Challa shook his head.

" **Nonsense** ," He adamantly assured her, " **Wakanda** is one of the most well-secured nations on this planet. We have more than enough space. I will ensure my people are ready to accept these refugees and we will begin building housing for these people. Once you have reached full capacity here, begin routing those heli-carriers to **Wakanda**."

"Y-yes, your majesty."

This brought a great relief to everyone's minds. This immediately solved the refugee issue.

Next was the problem with **S.H.I.E.L.D.**

They were beginning to stall both the advancements against the **RSF** and in evacuating refugees.

From their reports, they were still holding the **Triskelion** , marking it a safe haven for civilians as S.H.I.E.L.D. forces centralized there. It's what's keeping the city of **Washington D.C.** from completely falling. This was also keeping the agency afloat.

Across the globe, they've also been disrupting other R.O.G.U.E. operations to prevent them from bringing supplies to allied nations that are attempting to fight back against the **RSF**.

 **Wolverine** and **Gambit** reasserted their position that they need to concentrate efforts in **Brazil** , which also attracted Peter's attention. Intelligence that they've gathered indicate there's a secret facility out there that they've been utilizing to experiment on mutants that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s kidnapped over the past two years.

The others agreed, and so they began drawing up a plan to lead forces down there.

Until then, they would be split in teams for the time being to go follow up on objectives for both active operations.

* * *

 _A week later…_

 _In Earth's orbit…_

After escaping a band of murderous **Kree** out in another sector, the **Guardians of the Galaxy** finally arrived to the **Solar System** , approaching **Earth's orbit**.

"Well, there it is, **Nova** ," Quill pointed out, "Jeez, Earth hasn't changed much since last time I was here."

"When was **that**?" Rocket rudely inquired, "Back when **Yondu** kidnapped you?!"

"Hey! It was much more recent than that!"

"There are a lot of oceans there," Drax pointed out, "Good for swimming."

"Yeah, yeah, thank you, captain obvious, now let's get closer," Rocket insisted, pulling the controls of the _**Milano**_ and budging it forward.

 **Nova** watched from inside the ship, seeing the planet that he once called home. Suddenly, a dark object blocked the sun's rays. He thought it was the moon at first until he took a closer look and realized…

It was **Asteroid M**.

"Uhm…guys?"

"What, Nova?" Quill asked.

"We need to get to the surface **right now**!"

"What are you talking about?"

Before he could answer, the ship was getting bombarded by an array of laser beams from the surface of **Asteroid M** , forcing Quill and Rocket to take the ship through evasive action. Nova insisted that there was no use fighting it, they needed to escape and get to the surface!

Quill acknowledged it too late and part of the right wing was shattered off.

Regardless, he drove the ship forward through the Earth's atmosphere.

* * *

Hey my dudes, here's another chap! Don't have much to add from my last chapter, so much thanks for the reviews and for ur support! =) Hit that follow/fave button if you want to read more and keep it easy!

-jack m


	22. The Guardians of the Galaxy

_**The Guardians of the Galaxy**_

* * *

 _Near the Earth's atmosphere…_

In pursuit of the _**Milano**_ , **Asteroid M** released security sentinel drones that launched after the **Guardians of the Galaxy** , shooting a volley of lasers and energy beams to try and down the ship. **Star-Lord** warned everyone to strap-in as they began to enter the Earth's atmosphere, activating the heat shield to help them survive the entry.

Behind them, the sentinel drones followed right through into the stratosphere, continuously attacking them.

"We've got to lose them, **Quill**!" Rocket shouted.

"What do you think I'm trying **to do** , Rocket?!"

Star-Lord shifted the _Milano_ to the right, blinding them as they descended through a huge dark cloud with strikes of electricity thundering through.

"I am Groot!"

"I **know** that there's a thunderstorm here, Groot, **thank you**!" Star-Lord snapped.

Another maneuver to try and stabilize the ship was in vain. With one of the wings damaged, there was **no** way to control its rapid descent.

"Do we have a visual of **where** we are landing?!" Gamora agitatedly asked.

"I **don't know**!" Rocket barked back, "Our radar's fried! **Nova**! **Quill**! This is **your** home planet! Where are we landing?!"

"I can't see what's ahead of me, you **stupid** raccoon!" Star-Lord fired back.

"Then open your tiny **human** eyes wider!"

"Wait! There are oceans on this planet!" Drax repeated what he said earlier.

"We **know** that, Drax!" Nova coldly responded, "Tell us something that helps us here!"

"No, look!" Drax pointed ahead.

The clouds were finally clearing up and ahead of them was a dark blue mass of… **ocean**.

Without hesitation, **Star-Lord** shifted the stabilizers on the wings to try and give them a soft landing into the water. But, with the drones behind them continuously picking them apart, they were losing the means to stay calm in the air fast.

"Looks like we're going for a swim," Gamora sighed.

"I am Groot!"

" **No** , Groot, we're not **actually** going to go swimming for fun! Damn it! Just pray we don't get eaten by a shark," Nova irritably mentioned.

"What the hell is a shark?" Rocket curiously asked.

"Shit! Stabilizers went dead," Star-Lord pointed out, "Everyone, you **might** want to hang on tight!"

They braced for a rough impact as the bottom hull of the ship scraped with the surface of the ocean, ripping it apart but eventually settling down once the water gained friction.

The drones above them flew around for a few minutes to assess the landing and see if there were any survivors.

Inside, water began to slowly seep through the hull, gradually flooding the ship.

" **Shit** , **shit** , **shit** , **shit** ," Star-Lord quickly got up from the pilot's seat and ran into the lower deck of the ship.

"What's wrong with him?" Nova questioned.

"He's got a bunch of mementos from his childhood down there," Rocket answered, sitting up from his seat.

"Well, what are we going to do now?"

"You know how to swim, Nova?" Gamora sarcastically brought up the question.

"I know how to **fly**. If that means anything."

Rocket peeked up through the windows of the ship to see the drones still circling them.

"Those **things** are still out there," Rocket growled.

"We've got to send for help," Drax pointed out, standing up from his seat.

"Oh **really**? From **who** big guy? Nobody ever goes to **Terra**! People on this planet are too busy **killing** each other!"

"People are busy killing each other **throughout** the galaxy, raccoon."

"Why I **never** …." Rocket stopped short, "You've got a point there, Drax."

" **Wait**!" Nova quickly interrupted, "I **might** know someone who can help,"

"Well, do tell!"

"I'll be right back!"

Nova ran down to the lower levels of the ship. He saw **Star-Lord** rummage through a box of old technology like his **Walkman** Player and other mementos. The water was slowly flooding through, coming up to their ankles and quickly to their knees. It wouldn't be long until the ship was submerged underwater.

He hovered over to his locker and looked through his stuff to find his old **communicator** that he once used when he was running with **Spidey** and their team before **S.H.I.E.L.D**. took them away.

After a few minutes of looking, he found the dusty watch underneath a pile of old alien artifacts that he meant to fence earlier on **Xandar**.

"Come on, come on," Nova pleaded with the watch, trying to get it to turn on.

At last, it activated and searched for a nearby signal to attach to and transmit.

Star-Lord wrapped his box of mementos into a plastic bag and moved it up to the cockpit. The others brought out an emergency "raft" in the event they landed in an ocean of something. It only had enough room for four people, so two of them would have to swim or fly. With little options left, they blasted the windows so that they climb on top of the hull before the ship fully sank.

* * *

 _At the command deck on-board_ _ **The Eidolon**_ _…_

 **Specter Haven** was returning to **Alpha Base** after a scouting mission on the North African shore. R.O.G.U.E. intel suggested that the **RSF** was advancing towards Africa next, specifically from their conquered cities of **Rome** and **Barcelona** across the Mediterranean. They spent nearly the rest of the week working that mission before returning.

 **Phantom** was reviewing the mission report when he sensed **Fox** 's presence walk past. He looked up to see her walk over to talk to **Firewalker** about something concerning his music blasting on the intercom.

It brought him a peace of mind to see her on the team after a few days in the hospital. So much so, that he considered doing something that he was conflicted about doing for a while.

But, with them at world's end, he figured he'd give it a shot.

" **Fox** , can I speak with you for a moment?"

She looked over and nodded, walking over.

"What's up, **tonto**?"

He pulled her aside to a corner of the command deck, away from the ears of the specialists.

"Listen, there's this… there's this place on **Alpha Base** where they serve… **food** ,"

"The mess hall?"

"Yes, that place! And they serve **good food** , I think,"

"Sometimes," she giggled, "What are you getting at?"

"I think we should take some time to… decompress and… enjoy a meal together. At the mess hall. Together. You and me. With food."

"Like a… date?"

"Or a friendly lunch, dinner. **Sure** ," he nervously stumbled.

He glanced over to Firewalker who looked like he was about to die of excitement. Drake kept gesturing expressions of encouragement to him.

"I'd **love** that," she warmly accepted.

"Good, as soon as we return, then?"

"Just let me know when!"

With what, she returned to her conversation with Firewalker.

Phantom had felt a surge of confidence in " **asking her out** ". Although it was risky, he felt like it was the right time to do so. At least, to talk about the mission more in-depth. He valued her insight.

As he turned, he almost ran face-first into **Wolfe** 's chest.

"Transmission for you in the comm room, boss," Wolfe simply grunted, beaming down at Phantom.

"Jesus, where did you come **from**?"

"Best if I don't answer that."

"Alright, thank you, Wolfe, I'll head over there right now."

As Phantom walked towards the rear of the ship near the **war room** , he ran into **Peter** , who was leaning with his back against the hull with his arms crossed, **grinning**.

"Everything okay, Peter?"

"I **saw** that."

Phantom looked around.

"Saw what?"

"You asked **Fox** out!"

The specter rolled his eyes.

" **Why** is that such a big deal? I can ask **Wolfe** out to lunch if I wanted to. Is it because she's a **woman**?"

"No. It's because she's **into** **you**."

"She's **what**?"

Suddenly, a specialist rushed over to Phantom.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. **Sir** , you **really** need to answer this transmission. It has a S.H.I.E.L.D. signature from an older model of the standard communicator and it's being transmitted from several miles out in the ocean."

Peter and Phantom both glanced at each other.

Quickly, they rushed to the communications room where the specialists patched through the transmission. They couldn't communicate back because it had a S.H.I.E.L.D. signature, but they were able to intercept the message.

"Hey! If anyone's on this channel! This is **Nova** , part of the (static).. **of the Galaxy**! We crash landed out here and... (static)… is sinking quickly! We are being swarmed by…"

The transmission cut off there.

A look of **astonishment** grazed Peter's face. Phantom spared not a second more to act.

"Tell the pilot to shift our course! I want triangulation on that transmission! Get him the location and get us there, **now**!"

The specialists obeyed, quickly locating the source and sending the coordinates to their pilot.

* * *

 _On the wreckage of the Milano…_

With the storm tearing apart the skies, the **Guardians of the Galaxy** stood on-top the sinking _**Milano**_ , trying to set up their emergency raft while fighting off the **drones** that were circling around the wreckage and swooping in to try and blast them to bits.

 **Nova** took to the skies, trying to blast the drones down with his energetic beams. While it worked for a few minutes, **more** began to appear from beyond the clouds. They seemed never ending.

Finally, the raft floated up and **Drax** , **Gamora** , and **Groot** jumped in while **Star-Lord** and **Rocket** provided cover fire by shooting off their blasters at the incoming drones.

"Having trouble keeping those bastards down, kid?!" Rocket shouted to Nova.

" **You try** to get these guys down! They keep on coming!"

A stray drone suddenly shot a column of energy that tore right into the _**Milano**_ , cutting it in half and making it sink quicker. Within seconds, there was only a few feet left of the ship above the water's surface.

"Damn it! I put a lot of work into that ship!" Star-Lord groaned, aiming down his blasters at the drones.

"We can always rebuild it, Quill!" Drax assured him.

"Or just build a better ship," Gamora suggested.

" **Yeeeaaah** , why don't you just ask your daddy **Thanos** for a new one there, Gamora?" Rocket jokingly asked.

"I am Groot?"

"We're **not** building a ship out of wood, Groot!" Star-Lord shouted back.

"I am Groot?"

"No! **Especially** if it's made from your bark!"

"He's getting pretty morbid these days," Rocket commented.

Nova shot down one more drone before glancing at the horizon. There was an entire **squadron** of these human-like drones hurdling towards them, at least **fifty** of them at once.

"Uh… guys?"

The others looked up to see the incoming force.

"They're going to blast us right out of the water!" Drax warned, "Rocket, I **can't** swim!"

"Neither can I, big guy!"

"I **am Groot**!"

Groot placed his hands and feet together and spread his branches beyond the raft, forming a small wooden boat with more walking room and reinforced wooden armor. **Groot's** **head** was in the middle of the ship, acting as a small mast.

"I am Groot!"

"You're a genius, Groot!" Rocket cheered him on, looking at **Quill** , "and **you** didn't want a ship made of Groot."

As the squadron drew closer, **Drax** withdrew his elongated daggers and began climbing up the mast of the ship to get a better view. **Gamora** acquired another blaster from **Star-Lord** and **Rocket** launched himself up into the sky next to **Nova** to give him some back up.

"So, last stand or what, guys?" Nova jokingly asked.

"I did not imagine I'd die on this putrid planet!" Drax shouted.

"Join the club, Drax!" Rocket agreed, "And here I thought we'd get a few **Infinity Gems** before we died!"

"Well, there's **one thing** for certain," Star Lord pointed out, "If these stupid robots don't get us, the sharks will,"

"What the hell is a shark?!" Rocket reiterated his question from before.

"Those," Gamora pointed at the shifting ocean waves to show sharp fins emerge and disappear into the depths as the waves moved up and down.

"Well, **you** guys will," Nova chuckled, "I'll just fly out of here."

Just as the squadron of drones were about to blast them, a giant **jet** appeared out of **thin air**! It **uncloaked** itself and began launching energy missiles from its front cannons, shooting down whole **groups** of the drones at once.

"Holy shit! Who are these guys?!" Rocket exclaimed.

The jet's front-ramp opened as it continued to lay siege into the squadron of drones, all while it hovered closer to their **Groot boat**.

From the ramp, Nova recognized **Phantom** , and a few other characters who were shooting their weapons at the incoming drones.

"Ph- **Phantom**? Holy shit."

" **Guardians**! We're here to help rescue you!" Phantom assured them, "Get in the ship!"

"You don't have to tell **me** twice!" Nova shouted, hovering down to help the rest of his team onto the ship.

 _ **The Eidolon**_ and its crew continued to lay cover-fire to suppress the Reaper drones long enough for the **Guardians** to get on-board. Once the final man, **Groot** , got aboard, the ship took off and cloaked itself out of sight.

* * *

 _Inside the ship…_

The **Guardians** took a moment to catch their breath. **Nova** looked up first, instantly recognizing the cloaked specter, **Phantom** , and **Wolfe** beside him.

"Holy **shit** , I **thought** that was you!" Nova excitedly greeted him, reaching out for a brotherly handshake.

Phantom returned it.

"It's good to see you too, **Nova**."

"That bucket on your head, it's **black** now?" Wolfe inquired.

Nova chuckled.

" **Yep**. It's been two years. Lots of changes! Oh, shit, well, **first** , let me say **thanks** for the rescue, and **second** , here's my **crew**! **The Guardians of the Galaxy**!" Nova introduced them.

"How's it going?" Star-Lord nodded, straightening himself out.

"I am Groot!"

"So this must be the fabled **Specter Haven** ," Drax calmly greeted, "What does the 'haven' part mean, exactly?"

"Don't answer that," Nova whispered.

"Nice to meet you," Gamora sternly greeted, "Nova here wouldn't shut up about your team and how he fought alongside you."

"I'm good at telling stories," Nova added.

Rocket finally straightened himself out, getting the small particle debris from the _**Milano**_ off of him. He turned to look at Phantom and Wolfe.

"Yeah, yeah, **thanks** for the rescue," Rocket passively greeted.

 **Wolfe's** yellow eyes beamed on the raccoon almost instinctively, raising his rifle at it. Phantom quickly stopped him from shooting Rocket by grabbing the barrel and pointing it downwards.

"Wolfe, what the hell?!"

"There's a rodent on the ship, boss!"

"Who you calling a rodent?!" Rocket angrily asked, withdrawing a huge rifle from his back.

" **You**! You talking raccoon!"

"Put the rifle **down** , Wolfe!" Phantom warned him.

After a few seconds of tension, the phantom hunter finally lowered his rifle.

"Hmph. I've never met a talking raccoon, before."

"And **I've never met a** …"

Star-Lord picked up Rocket and shut his mouth with his right hand before he said more obscentiies.

"You'll have to forgive my friend. He's… he's not exactly all there," Star-Lord jokingly apologized.

Nova sighed.

"This isn't how I thought we'd meet back up."

"Well, there are some people aboard that would like to see you again, Nova," Phantom kindly told him, "follow me."

* * *

Aboard _**Vengeance…**_

The sensors on **Asteroid M** alerted the **Vanguard** , who routed the information to **Reaper** himself that there was an alien presence that crash landed into the **Pacific Ocean**. The rock was able to capture footage of the craft before it entered the atmosphere.

Reaper reviewed the information closely.

"What am I seeing here?" He calmly inquired from **Moros**.

"We ran a database search from all known entities beyond the Solar System, my lord. It appears to be a type of ship that belongs to the **Ravagers** crime syndicate."

"An interstellar presence?"

"The automated drones tried to destroy them but they met resistance with another known force, master."

" **Specter Haven** ," Reaper sighed.

Moros slightly nodded.

"Y-yes, master."

Reaper lightly tapped his claw-like fingers on the front hull nearest to the window of the ship.

"Send a small force to their last known location to investigate. Contact **Riptide**. Wherever he is. Perhaps his expertise with the sea can help here."

"Are you certain, master?"

"Yes. I want to know what their ship was doing out there," Reaper stated as he studied the details of the holographic report, "Where are you hiding now, **Phantom**?"

* * *

 **Note**

Another chap up guys! =) Sorry, this one's short so I thought it wouldn't kill me to publish it today. Currently SUPER ahead of schedule (thank god). Looking to get this story probably done by summer so keep an eye out plz.

(yawn) so tired. if uve messaged me and i haven't gotten back to you, i'll respond tomorrow, sorry bout that guys.

hit that fave/follo button if u wanna read more and let me know where i can improve/get better on, thanks guys, yall are the best

\- jack montero


	23. Nova's Return

_**Nova's Return**_

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **The Eidolon**_ _…_

 **Phantom** escorted **Nova** and the **Guardians of the Galaxy** up to the command deck to meet the rest of the crew. While they waited for the lift, he briefly explained to them the gravity of the situation. All the while, **Star-Lord** mentioned how **Asteroid M** activated its defenses to go after them once they had reached Earth's orbit, which showed that **Reaper** and his forces were in control of the space around the planet as well.

Once they reached the command center, the elevator lift slid open to reveal the rest of the team, to include **Peter** , **Luke** , and **Danny** already waiting for them to come up.

 **Nova's** eyes widened in shock.

"Peter?... Luke?... D-Danny? Is that you guys? Is… is this a dream?"

"Hell of a **nightmare** if it is," Rocket murmured.

" **No** , nope," Nova shook his head, "I've had **one too many** dreams in the past few years where I was with my old team again. I'm not falling for it, I'm not!"

It almost sounded like he was about to cry.

The three amigos stood, grinning ear to ear, unable to contain the excitement of seeing their friend again.

"Jeez, **Sam** , is that anyway to treat your old friends?" Luke warmly asked.

"Come on, **buckethead** , it's **us** ," Peter assured him.

Sam slowly removed his black helmet, revealing his jet-black hair, which had grown slightly longer in the past two years. He had also grown a visible goatee.

He approached them and calmly placed a palm on Luke's shoulder.

"Oh my **God** ," Sam gasped, "Someone **pinch** me so that I **know** I'm not dreaming here!"

Drax marched up and smacked Nova across the back of his head.

"Oww! **Drax! What the hell**? I said **pinch**!"

"This seemed the better option."

Sam returned his attention to the guys.

"Convinced, Sam?" Danny calmly asked.

" **Sweet Jesus**!" Sam exclaimed, embracing all his friends at once in one giant brotherly hug.

"Wait, are you **crying** , Sam?!" Luke noticed.

"I'm not **crying**. I've just got crap in my eyes is all. You know, **seawater**!"

Finally, after a few moments, he let go. They all saw his eyes slightly filled with tears.

"I'm just… I didn't expect to see you losers again is all," He confessed to them, "Those **fuckers** at **S.H.I.E.L.D.!** I tried to get back in contact with you guys but I was worried about getting tailed by them. I'm sorry! I should've tried harder."

"Sam, there is **nothing** to apologize for," Danny assured him, "The important thing is that we are united now."

While all this was happening, the other two groups were watching. Hell, even the specialists at the command deck were watching, some of them expressing sympathy for their reunion.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Fox warmly commented, placing her hand over her chest.

"You recording this?" Rocket murmured to Star-Lord, who was holding some sort of recorder.

"Of course."

Phantom then stepped forward to address the Guardians.

"Well, while we leave those **four** to figure things out, perhaps we can catch you guys up to speed with what's **really** going on?"

"Nova said that this prick, Reaper, has **two** of the **Infinity Gems**?" Star-Lord inquired.

"That's right. He obtained them through a separate reality."

Rocket and Star-Lord glanced at each other.

" **Which** ones does he have?" Rocket tacked on another question.

"We believe he's in possession of the **Reality** and **Power** gems."

"I am Groot?"

"Agreed," Drax concurred, "How has he not destroyed the planet by now? The **Power** gem alone is enough to turn this entire planet into a barren wasteland."

"He doesn't want to destroy it as much as he wants to convert everyone into **mutates** ,"

"Mute- **what**?" Gamora tried to identify.

"Perhaps we can discuss it further once we reach **Alpha Base** ," Phantom answered, "Our efforts are being coordinated with **R.O.G.U.E.** , our parent faction."

"Sounds good," Star-Lord agreed, "Well, we're here with **Nova** and we'll do what we can to help you guys stop this guy. Within reason, of course."

"We keep the gems after we help you guys out. **That's** the deal," Rocket simply clarified.

"Hmph," Wolfe grunted, "These 'Guardians' seem more like gangsters than anything else."

"I am Groot."

"Trust us. **Off-planet** is where you want those gems," Star-Lord sternly pleaded, "Let's just say **Gamora's dad** is obsessed with those things and he's the closest thing to… well… he's just **bad news**."

"I see," Phantom observed, "Well, let's bring this information to **Director Hill** at **Alpha Base** once we get there. It shouldn't be long now."

* * *

 _On the command deck at_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

Once the ship docked and met up with the other teams, they brought their findings from both the mission and their rescue operation with the **Guardians** to **Director Hill**. Both the **Avengers** and **R.O.G.U.E.** had knowledge about the Guardians due to **S.W.O.R.D.'s** deep-space intelligence reports that surveyed extraterrestrial life. So, they already knew who they were dealing with in regards to each member of the team.

 **Professor Xavier** had recovered throughout the week and was joining **Director Hill** , **Agent Coulson** , and **Steve Rogers** in monitoring the situation across the world. He quickly convinced the director to begin committing additional resources to **Brazil** , where their agents in the region discovered even more sites of possible concentration camps where S.H.I.E.L.D.'s was keeping mutants and mutates alike.

And so, **The Avengers** mainly concentrated on reconnaissance efforts there while also keeping an eye out for **Scarlet Witch** , who was said to be in that area, according to **Dr. Strange's mystical detection**.

 **Tony Stark** , with the help of **Dr. Bruce Banner** , was finalizing the last crucial steps to completing the **Super Electrode**. They perfected the original blueprints to where a single electrode can emit the same debilitating signal to all the **Reaper Sentinels** multiple times instead of just once. With the remnants of **Ultron's code** that controlled his army of machines, they were able to also mimic controlling patterns in the frequency, with the possibility of **controlling them**.

But that was all in theory…

Now, they were reinforced with the strengths of **The Guardians of the Galaxy** , **The Avengers** , **Specter Haven** , and the few from the **X-Men**. Director Hill greeted and welcomed the Guardians as warmly as she could, assuring **Star-Lord** that they'd work around the clock to rebuild another ship similar to the _**Milano**_ for them to pilot. In the meantime, however, a **Quinjet** would have to do.

Before they left, Director Hill had some additional information to pass.

"We have had some small yet significant victories in the past week. While we've begun concentrating our efforts in South America against **S.H.I.E.L.D.** , we're finding signs of increased resistance to **Reaper's Forces** across the globe.

"In **Russia** , remnants of the Russian Army have launched shock-and-awe style attack tactics against the Sentinels. Although not largely effective, they've actually **slowed down** their advance further east. In **China** , the same thing. In **Europe** , the resistance there has begun to use abandoned vehicles as large bombs to cut down the larger Sentinels.

"All in all, with our combined efforts from the **Avengers** , **Specter Haven** , and our additional pick ups that we've enlisted, we're showing **significant strides** in repelling the invasion for as long as we can."

"Do not let this perceived victory distract you, director," **Vision** warned, " **Reaper's campaign** has only affected the northern hemisphere. We have **yet** to see if he will launch further invasions in **Africa** or **South America**."

"Vision's got a point," **Steve Rogers** concurred, "If anything, we should start sending larger forces down there to prepare those people. Early evacuations, if need be."

"Your majesty, how is the refugee effort coming along in **Wakanda**?" Director Hill routed the line of thought.

" **Steady**. There is no shortage of food to keep them hungry and we are working around the clock to ensure those shelters are built within the next few days to start housing them," T'Challa politely answered.

"Good. **Coulson**? Do you have anything to add?"

The groups turned their attention to the veteran agent, who was busy studying the global map. He hesitated to answer before finally saying something.

"I think we need to go beyond recruiting superheroes here."

"What do you mean?"

"I think the strengths of our forces need to go **beyond R.O.G.U.E.** , Maria. I say we need to reach out to larger factions that can contribute."

"You're referring to the buildup of a larger military force?" **Phantom** curiously inquired, "That may take **some time**."

"If we can reach our brothers and sisters locked up in **Brazil** , I can assure you they are more than willing to bring the fight to Reaper in order to defend their existence," Professor Xavier added.

"We've also got intelligence to suggest there's larger mutant/mutate factions hiding out in Brazil. Some sort of **unofficial underground** ," Black Widow added, "Our only lead is **Felicia Hardy**. Based off what our spy network tells us, **she's** leading this **underground** in some way. They call her **Black Cat**."

"Isn't that one of the **special persons** we looked at a while ago?" Falcon asked.

"Yep, the very same. She's doing more than just burglarizing rich people these days, though. She's leading her own little mob in the streets of **Rio** and **Sao Paulo**."

"I see," Director Hill acknowledged, "Very well. I'll have our specialists draw up a plan for **Brazil**. Lastly, we're receiving signal pings from various locations across **Manhattan**. We don't know who they're coming from, but we believe they're from the **resistance** that's become entrenched there."

"Maybe it's **Nick**?" Peter suggested.

"Probably so, Parker. I'm having our comms guys try to get a successful transmission through, so that we can see about what's going on down there. I'll let one of **you know** ," Maria pointed at **Phantom** , **Tony** , and **Steve** , "…the moment I get something."

"Understood, ma'am," Steve acknowledged.

"Until then. **Avengers** , you're up for the next mission. **Specter Haven** , you've earned some rest for now."

While the director briefed the **Guardians** of what their next steps would be, the rest of the teams dispersed to conduct their daily duties.

 **Peter** took **Sam** to go see **MJ** and **Harry** , so that they know that he's still alive. **Phantom** , on the other hand, offered **Fox** to go on that lunch date.

* * *

 _At the communications platform…_

Sam was caught up to speed with what was going with the team. He couldn't believe that the **entire planet** was getting invaded by a small group of, as he observed, "animal-head-wearing lunatics with an army of **vanilla Ultrons** ". He further added that he once witnessed an entire army of dwarf-sized aliens invade an entire planet in three hours, conquering an entire system within five days, emphasizing that Reaper's invasion is going **really slow**.

While the other guys prepared for the next mission, Peter took some time to go visit **MJ** and **Harry** in the communications platform, where **MJ** was busy broadcasting emergency reports.

The two of them switched into casual clothing and approached the large communications center, which seemed like an alternate version of the command center, but they were transmitting information instead of receiving it.

 **MJ** and **Harry** were talking at one of the tables near the far end.

As they approached, Peter quickly **reminded** Sam that she and Harry were together now and to not try anything stupid.

"Hey **MJ** , **Harry** , what's going on?" Peter greeted them.

"Pete! Glad you could find time to come see us!" Harry jokingly responded.

"Hey Peter, how's…" She stopped dead once she saw Sam, "Oh my God, is that **you** , Sam?!"

"In the flesh, MJ. What's up?" He nervously greeted.

"I thought you were dead!"

"Nope. In a different part of the galaxy, though!"

They both briefly hugged. Sam shook Harry's hand and asked about how they were doing and keeping up, what with the war and all.

 **MJ** was receiving regular reports declassified by **R.O.G.U.E.** that she was routing out to all available frequencies across the world. The information was mostly about how survivors can evade capture from the Reaper Sentinels and methods of survival, especially how to **not** breathe in the gas that morphs them into **Wraiths**.

 **Harry** , on the other hand, was able to contact some of his existing **Oscorp** facilities in the rural areas of the country. **R.O.G.U.E.** coordinated transport to get the resources and materials out of there and back to **Alpha Base** where they can be used.

Harry brewed them each a cup of coffee from their nearby coffeemaker.

"We've been up **day and night** coordinating efforts with any civilian force that's still alive," Harry explained, sipping from his mug, "And since R.O.G.U.E. has a translator for every language, we've been able to help out people from all around."

"Dang," Peter awed, "Have you guys ran into any issues at all?"

"A few," MJ answered, "Not everyone wants to accept help from 'terrorists', so they've been quicker to rush into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s arms than us."

"Who, by the way, **aren't** conducting **any** kind of operation to help these people," Harry added.

"Pricks," Sam commented, shaking his head.

"Oh, and **get this** ," Harry continued on a different topic, " **Stark** came in here the other day asking to take **my body measurements** , can you believe that?"

"It was **really** weird," MJ remarked.

"What for?" Peter asked.

Harry shrugged.

"He didn't say. MJ here thinks it was to size me up for an **Iron Man** suit! Can you guys imagine?"

Sam almost burst out laughing but he poorly contained it. Harry subtly scolded him.

"What makes you think that, MJ?" Peter questioned.

"I mean, what **else** would Stark take measurements for? He's **the Iron Man**."

"Why would he want **me** in one of his suits, though?"

"Maybe to prank you? That's what **I** would do anyway," Sam sarcastically suggested.

Harry ignored him.

"I **did** hear he was working on a new suit before all this went down," Peter pointed out, "Well, **two** , actually."

"Where'd you hear **that**?" Sam skeptically asked.

"Mr. Stark **tweets** a lot, Sam."

"Ohhh, I see."

They spoke on the topic some more before the intercom rang off and the command center ordered Spidey and his team up to see Director Hill.

"It's like getting called up to **Principal Coulson's** office all over again," Sam remarked.

"Well, would you rather deal with him or having to fight the apocalypse? Take your pick," Peter jokingly answered.

"Good point, web-head."

* * *

 _At the Mess Hall…_

 **Phantom** and **Fox** arrived at the partially empty Mess Hall and quickly got something to eat. The food for the menu that day was steamed broccoli, chicken tenders, and mashed potatoes. It didn't look the best, but it was an ample amount. Once they got their food and drinks, they walked over to one of the upper-level seating areas, so that they could be to themselves.

"Thanks for the lunch invite, **tonto**. This is nice," Fox warmly expressed.

"Well, thank **you** for coming, Fox."

"I wasn't going to leave you hanging if you wanted someone to eat… I mean, eat **with** ," She clumsily corrected herself.

Phantom subtly chuckled.

"I appreciate it either way."

They followed up with what they were talking about earlier in the week while Fox was in the medical wing. She brought up the future of **Specter Haven** after the war and how she believed that the group should remain a ready force for **R.O.G.U.E.** but evolve into a school-like training academy for the younger recruits.

Phantom thought it was a great idea, pitching the possibility of changing the group's name to **Specter Force** instead.

After they finished their meal, they moved on to more serious topics. Fox brought up **Selena** again, and Phantom figured that she deserved to know more about how he felt about losing her.

"I think about her every day, Fox. I can't shake this guilt that her disappearance is all my fault," He lamented, "If you could've seen the look on **Maria's** face…"

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Phantom. There's **nothing** you could've done."

"There's **plenty** I could've done. But, I don't know where I'd look if I were to go searching for her now."

He sighed.

"Hey," She reached out to hold his gloved hand, " **Stop** blaming yourself, tonto. **Selena** has a **great father** who's doing his best to **save the world**. And if she's as powerful as they say she is, I'm sure she's doing what she can to **find you**."

"How can you be certain?"

"Call it **women's intuition** ," she joked.

He held his head low, before slowly planting his masked face into his hands.

She got up from her seat and walked over to him, embracing him with a warm hug. She could sense the fear in his heart that he worried for his daughter. Moments later, she heard him start to silently weep. It nearly shattered her heart to hear him, but she only held him tighter.

"She's… she's the only family I have left, **Fox**. I missed out on her entire existence. And all I ever wanted was… was a family…"

"I know, **tonto** , I know, it's **okay**."

She let him go and looked at his face. The white glow of his natural eyes had dimmed down, almost like they were temporarily normal again. He quickly gathered himself, wiping away his tears.

"I've… I've cried for **sixteen years** to mourn my life. For the first time, I'm crying for my **daughter**."

"I'll help you find her, Phantom, I **promised** you I would."

He looked up at her, staring into her light brown eyes. She stared back, trying her best to lower her racing heartbeat.

As her hand graced his chest, she felt his racing heartbeat too.

Slowly, she reached for the bottom of his mask at his neck. He glanced down, then back at her. She pulled the edge and slowly unraveled it to reveal his scarred skin underneath.

He allowed her to pull it all the way up to reveal his entire face.

Caressing the side of his face with her hand, she studied him, sensing the pain and hurt in his soul.

With both their hearts wildly racing at this point, she took a leap of faith and leaned in, closing her eyes. Phantom, without realizing it, closed his eyes as well.

But, like a drum of bad timing, the intercom rang off.

" **Specter Haven**. **Specter Haven**. **Report to the command deck as soon as possible.** "

Fox leaned back and stood back up, her hands trembling.

Phantom, snapping back into reality, pulled down his mask and stood up as well.

"Are you okay?" He calmly inquired.

"I'm fine, tonto," Fox faintly smiled in response, "We should get going."

On the other side of the stadium-sized mess-hall, **Firewalker** and **Wolfe** sat with binoculars. They were both munching, sharing a tub of popcorn.

"Argh, are you **serious** , homie?!" Firewalker quietly exploded in rage.

Wolfe calmly cackled, continuing to stare down his binoculars.

"Looks like you're paying up, **runt**."

"They almost had it, big dawg! They **almost** had it!"

Wolfe shrugged.

Firewalker rummaged through his pocket and threw a few dollar bills at a grinning Wolfe before marching off towards the exit.

"Pleasure doing business with you, boy,"

"Shut it, **Wolfe**!"

* * *

 **Note**

Hey my dudes, here's another chap up for the evening. I worked on this earlier before my classes started so I just finished it up and gave it a publish. I also wanted to point out that **Phantom and Fox's** part of the chap was adapted from the excerpt **Afe** had for this chapter, so, there's some good ol' Afe writing with Jack's finest revision skills! =D

Ahhhhh, **Infinity War** out everywhere and it coming out this Thursday night/Friday night! Hope you guys enjoy it! =D

If you've PMd me and I haven't messaged back, I'll get to you ASAP. Just wanted this up before the night got too late.

hit that fave/follow button if you like what you're reading, let me know what I can improve on! massive thanks! =)

-jack m


	24. SHIELD's Message

_**S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Message**_

* * *

 _In the SCIF of the command platform…_

Once Director Hill gathered up **Specter Haven** and the others, she gathered them up in the small, darkened room of the **SCIF** (Secure Compartmented Information Facility), where trusted specialists were decoding the transmission signature that they acquired coming from **Manhattan**. They weren't sure **who** was trying to communicate with them. And, if the **wrong** people connected with them, they could place the location of the base at risk.

But, it was a risk they were willing to take.

They waited in silence for the transmission to finish being decoded, anxious to find out who was at the other end.

Finally, it finished, and a holographic projection appeared before them through the transmitter.

It was **Nick Fury**.

His attire had changed since the last time they saw him. He was wearing U.S. Army ACU-pattern camouflage utilities with a flak jacket and a military cap.

" **Finally** … (static)…" Fury sounded relieved.

The specialists quickly cleaned up the audio so that Fury's voice came through alright.

"Sir, how are you doing?" Director Hill graciously greeted him.

Fury chuckled.

"Alive and kicking, Hill. We've been trying to reach out to you guys for a while now. I'm glad it finally patched through."

"There was problems getting it through, sir. We're happy to see you're not **dead** yet," Coulson assured him, smiling.

"It's going to take a lot more than an invasion to take me out," Fury confidently told them, shrugging.

He briefed them on the situation in **Manhattan**. What few **National Guardsmen** and **City Police** they were able to rally up made up most of the fighting force with a bunch of other civilians who took up arms to help. They split up their time in hiding between the underground subway tunnels and abandoned buildings throughout the city.

The **Juggernaut-Class Reaper Sentinels** had moved on from the island to secure the surrounding areas around Manhattan to include Long Island and New Jersey. However, they upped their number of **Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinels** and they are now parked all over the place, with a higher concentration of them building **something** in Central Park. Whatever it was, it was impossible to get close to it with the **Wraiths** and **Argos-Class** Sentinels patrolling the entire city.

 **Reaper's** flag-ship _**Vengeance**_ maintained stationed over the city. A few days ago, they had sent out a broadcast across all channels to ask high-ranking officials to board their ship to negotiate a peace treaty and several surviving bureaucrats had taken up the deal, only to never return from the ship.

They have adopted **guerrilla** style fighting tactics in going after the **RSF**. They're trying to "liberate" smaller districts from their control by hitting them fast and occupying the area as quickly as possible. The problem is that once they move in, a **Cerberus-Class Sentinel** would show up and disperse their **Vitruvian Destiny** gas and infect another chunk of the resistance.

In a nutshell, they were getting their asses kicked while trying to keep as many of their fighters and civilian populace alive.

"It sounds like you have your work cut out for you, Fury," Phantom calmly commented, "I… I wish I was there with you in the fight,"

"Oh, you **will be** , Phantom," Fury assured him, "We're buying time for you guys here. These resistance fighters, they know the **score** , they **know** that we have you guys out there gathering up your forces to come here and liberate us."

"The invasion has gone **global** , Fury," Steve Rogers reminded him, "There are **hundreds of millions** dead or infected. Why is **New York** important?"

"Because the **Reaper** is here, Captain. Whatever they're building here in **Central Park** has his **full attention**. I'd say, the **battle** for the **planet** will begin here on the big apple."

He had a point. **Director Hill** insisted on keeping their connection as active as possible to remain updated on the situation in **Manhattan** , since the communications block in the region has kept them from receiving reliable reports. **Fury** must've found a way **around** that block to send out an active message.

It wasn't far-fetched, since his **spy skills** are world-renowned. Much like **Tony Stark** once described him, **his secrets have secrets**.

Coulson briefed Fury on what their next steps were and what they were planning to do in **Brazil**. Along with building up their overall military strength and readiness and finding **White Tiger** , they were also trying to finish the **Super Electrode** as well as a possible antidote to counteract the **Vitruvian Destiny** 's effects.

Fury listened closely, hearing the framework of their plan. He finally suggested that, while in **Brazil** , to locate the abandoned **S.H.I.E.L.D.** facility, **The Archive** , and search the servers there for a possible antidote recipe.

"What are you talking about?" Phantom sternly inquired, "I thought **Vitruvian** didn't **have** a cure to its effects?"

Phantom referred to his **16-year** imprisonment by S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I know what you're **thinking** , Cruz, and it's **not that** ," Fury firmly assured him, "There are **possible** recipes to counteract the effects there. It's built-up research on the **Vitruvian Serum** that you all do not have at this moment. I think it would be a good place to look."

"I see," Phantom remained unconvinced.

The subject quickly changed.

"Ah, I see some of my favorite **kids** ," Fury commented, glancing over at **Peter** , **Luke** , **Danny** , and **Sam**.

"Who are you calling a kid, Fury?!" Sam sternly questioned, "I'll have you know… **I'm a man** now!"

" **Sure** you are, **Alexander** ," Fury chuckled, " **Cage** , **Rand** , it's good to see you both alive as well."

"Same to you, sir," Danny politely acknowledged, "We have a lot to catch up on, when you have the time,"

"Definitely. I **was Deadpool's** prisoner for a while, then **S.H.I.E.L.D.** 's. We have **much** to discuss."

"Just, don't get **killed** out there, Fury," Luke kindly warned him, "We can't have you dead now."

"If only I had **indestructible skin** , Cage, if only. But, I'll do my best."

Peter stepped forward to talk to Fury more directly.

"Wish you were here, Nick," was all he managed to say.

"I know, son," Fury warmly told him, "But, we all have our duties to accomplish. God willing, we'll make it through this."

"You found religion, sir?" Coulson skeptically inquired.

Fury simply shrugged.

"Whether he exists or not, I'd say these people need all the **hope** they can get right now, in whatever form it comes in."

With that, Fury was called off by the fighters to go help with something, cutting their conversation to an end.

"You be careful out there, sir," Director Hill lastly told him.

"Don't worry, this **isn't my first rodeo** ," Fury reminded them, "You bring me an **army** , we'll give you a **shot** at **Reaper**. We'll keep in touch. Fury out."

The groups returned to their assigned tasks.

 **Fox** glanced over to **Phantom** , who caught her gaze. She gestured to talk to him in private outside the SCIF once the others left.

"Listen, **tonto** , what happened back in the mess hall…"

"There is **no need** to bring it up, Fox," he quickly responded, calmly raising his hand to stop her, "There is **too much** at stake here to follow that line of thought."

"I…" Fox was at a loss for words, "I… you're right. What was I thinking? I'm **so** sorry."

"There is no need to apologize, either."

She solemnly nodded.

"Well, **thank you** for the lunch anyway, Phantom," she sadly told him, ending the conversation there and walking away.

He watched her as she did, wondering in his own thoughts whether or not he did the right thing. Once she was out of sight, **Wolfe** reappeared out of thin air in front of him and **Firewalker** wisped into sight from his smoky form out of a nearby vent.

"I **cannot** believe you **brushed** her off like that, homie!" Firewalker sternly claimed.

"Listen, you **two**. What I decide to do with my personal life is **none of your concern** ," Phantom, taking an angrier stance, affirmed to them.

"We're also your **friends** , or we thought we were," Wolfe darkly responded, "If you guys are unhappy, it's **our concern**."

" **Nobody** is unhappy here,"

"Hmph, yeah right," Firewalker skeptically commented, "Look, **whatever**. You right. You grown. You know what you're doing."

"Just **don't hurt Fox** ," Wolfe warned him.

"What **do you think** I'm doing here?" Phantom sternly asked, lowering his voice, "You both **know** how this war ends. With **Reaper dead**. His death spells out **my death**."

"But, if he's from a different reality, shouldn't that mean you're good?" Firewalker pointed out.

"That remains to be proven. It's an estimated guess, at best. But, in the event it's true, and we're both connected through life… **I can't** afford **anything** between **Fox** and **I**. I… I thought I could. But, I realized that our duty is more important. If I have to **die** to save this **planet** , you **both** know I won't hesitate to do so. I **refuse** to hurt **Fox** in that way."

"So, **your** solution is to just… what? Stay away?" Firewalker questioned.

Phantom nodded.

"You know something, Phantom?" Wolfe questioned, "If I could hold my **wife** and daughter in my arms again, even if it meant I'd die tomorrow, I **would**. Because it'd give my life **meaning**."

Phantom didn't respond to this, just silently listened.

"Maybe you've been dead for so long, you don't know the meaning of **life** anymore, homie," Firewalker coldly added.

"If you keep doing this to yourself, Phantom, you'll end up dying **wishing** you could've said something to her," Wolfe concluded, "Come on, runt, let's go."

With that, the two specters walked away, leaving **Phantom** alone to ponder what they said.

* * *

 _Somewhere out in the Pacific Ocean…_

As directed by **Reaper** , Moros ordered **Riptide** out to investigate the remains of the craft that crash landed into the Pacific Ocean from outer space, beyond **Asteroid M**.

Upon arrival to the ocean floor, Riptide swam through the wreckage of the downed ship and began his investigation through the inside of it. He discovered several damaged pieces of alien technology and other interesting pieces that looked ancient.

He channeled his powers to create an air pocket inside the craft and force the water inside to flush out, drying it completely to take a better look at the evidence.

By doing so, a portal opened, and **Tombstone** and **Moros** emerged out of it.

Riptide glanced over, rolling his eyes once he realized who it was. He knelt down at a discarded box of items that was nearby, searching through its contents.

"So **this** is the ship?" Moros curiously asked, looking around.

" **No** , of course not," was Riptide's sarcastic response.

"No need to be like that, Riptide."

"No need to ask **stupid questions** either, Moros. Now, what are you **two** doing here now?"

Moros began pacing about, examining the ship more closely.

"Making sure you're doing as you've been **ordered** to do."

Riptide gave a disgusted expression underneath his helmet.

"Ah, so a **babysitter** , then? You know, I could just pop this air pocket and drown you both in here."

"I'd advise against that," Moros warned him, " **Our master** regards the advice of **Tombstone** and **I** very highly."

"How's that? The hooded mutate can't even speak," Riptide questioned, referring to Tombstone.

"His actions speak **volumes**."

"I see," He skeptically answered, resuming to his investigation of the ship.

He found pictures of what he assumed to be the group of individuals who commandeered the jet-like ship. On the backside of it, was the inscription: **Guardians of the Galaxy! Drax, Gamora, Star-Lord, Rocket, Groot, and Nova**.

Riptide's attention concentrated on **Nova's** face in the picture, one of Spider-Man's closest allies.

"Found something?" Moros inquired.

He tucked the picture away in a pocket in his armor.

" **Nothing** ," he answered.

The only lead they collectively discovered was the transmission from a **communicator** they recovered in the lower levels of the ship. Moros quickly took the evidence and returned to _**Vengeance**_ to present his findings to **Reaper**.

* * *

 _On-board Alpha Base…_

Peter was speaking with **King T'Challa** on the command deck, inquiring about the possibility of crafting a new suit for him with **Vibranium**. T'Challa, who had learned to respect the wall-crawler's battle prowess and ability, told him that he'd get his sister, **Shuri** , to see what she can come up with. He quickly took Peter's body measurements and sent them to her.

Afterwards, **Phantom** approached the deck, appearing **weary**.

"What's up, Phantom?" Peter cheerily asked, "You look… tired?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Phantom calmly assured him, "Just… **a lot** on my mind."

"Not too much I hope?"

The specter shrugged.

"I'll let you know if it is, Peter."

Suddenly, one of the specialists in the room shouted out to Director Hill, who was standing at her command terminal.

" **Director**! We're receiving a world-wide broadcast from **S.H.I.E.L.D.**! It's hitting all the frequencies!"

"Patch it through!" she ordered.

The global map monitor quickly switched to **Director Sitwell's** face. He was standing next to other seemingly high-ranking **S.H.I.E.L.D.** leaders who remained calm and with cold expressions on their faces.

The specialist who reported it added that it was being translated into different languages according to each region it broadcasted to.

" **Good day** , my fellow fighters for **humanity**. I am **Director Jasper Sitwell** of **S.H.I.E.L.D.** You may have heard of us in the news or around your local cities and districts. We are a global peace-keeping agency interested in preserving our way of life, **your** peace of mind. I'm speaking with you today to discuss what is going on, this **invasion** by these frightening sentient beings.

"Some of you are at home, safe and sound, doing all that you can to **ignore** what is going on. Others are in the trenches, **fighting** to survive, **resisting** this invasion as best you can. Well, my fellow human beings, I am here to assure you that **you are not alone**. **S.H.I.E.L.D.** is here for you, in the capacity that we can help.

"As I speak, I am ordering all of my heli-carrier fleets to assist the countries affected in a strong effort to **evacuate** as many of you to **a safe haven**. We have **several** secret sanctuary locations in the southern hemisphere that will facilitate your arrival and ensure you and your family are **safe**. Furthermore, we will conduct special **medical tests** to ensure you are free of this **virus** that is turning people into **monsters**. All **free of charge** , of course.

"We have reports that a terrorist organization that calls itself **R.O.G.U.E.** is attempting to **evacuate** people as well. I warn you, my friends, to **not** trust these individuals. They are wanted terrorists and fugitives who are known to kill people when they deem fit. No doubt, if they capture you, they will do **terrible things** to you in their secret hideout, wherever it may be," Sitwell confidently stated.

The screen suddenly appeared to cut and buffer, flashing brief seconds of **Sitwell** appearing with **bright red** in the iris of his pupils, before returning to normal.

"Trust in us, and we **assure you** that we will bring this war to a **swift** end. Only **together** can we prevail. We will be in contact."

The transmission ended right there, prompting a **surge** of information to get routed through to the specialists to analyze. Director Hill and Coulson looked at each other in disbelief of what they just witnessed. This will **no doubt** disrupt their evacuation mission. They called an emergency meeting with the other groups to discuss what they had just seen.

* * *

 _Night time in the run-down favelas of_ _ **Rio de Janeiro**_ _…_

 **Selena** and **Wren** finally reached the huge city of **Rio** **de Janeiro** , finding a small hostel that they stayed at for the night. Wren had left earlier to go see if he could get information from the so-called **Underground** that apparently controlled the free mutant/mutate populace in the city and were protecting them from **S.H.I.E.L.D.**

He returned around midnight to tell her that he had gained an audience with the leader of the **Vampiric League** , a huge band of bikers that controlled the **blood flow** of the city, and an allied faction of the **Underground**. From what they gathered about them, they donated **vampiric blood** , known to be one of the only few substances in their universe that can effectively heal **any** type of wound, no matter how serious it is, in exchange for **human blood** , which is what they survived on. In a city known for its high murder rates, the biker gang thrived off the exchange.

On the way there, they discussed their plan. They would ask the leader to see if he could secure them safe transport to a set of **coordinates** that **Selena** had that led to a remote facility that held a vital weapon to use against **Reaper's Forces**. She placed the plan to contact her father directly on standby, since there was **no way** to contact him with the war ravaging half the planet.

They arrived to the Motorcycle Clubhouse, _**Tempos da Transilvânia**_ , which was a huge two-story building in one of the favela districts of **Rio**. The parking lot was lined with a little less than a **hundred** black Harley-Davidson style bikes from all eras of its existence. Most of them were of a **gothic design** , varied with designs of bats and skulls.

"I hope we don't get the blood sucked out of us here, Wren."

"We'll be **fine** ," He confidently assured her.

They entered the clubhouse, instantly attacked with smells of **drugs** and **alcohol**. The song **"Medieval Warfare"** by **Grimes** was being played loudly over the speakers all around.

The clubhouse itself looked like a huge disco bar, but without disco. On the "dance floor" were several of the bikers rocking out to the song and drinking tankards of what they assumed to be **alcoholic** **blood**.

They pushed through the crowds, who were almost instinctively attracted to the two of them the moment they entered. The black leather-vested bikers started to **smell** their blood.

Selena and Wren reached the bottom of a staircase where a biker was guarding the access.

"What's your business here, humans?" He grunted.

"We're actually **mutates** ," Selena smirked.

The biker ignored her.

"We're here to talk to **Dracula** ," Wren respectfully answered, "…with your permission of course. He has agreed to meet with us, **Phantasm** and **Grey Ghost**."

The biker beamed at Selena with wanting eyes before finally answering.

"Very well, you can talk to the boss,"

The biker escorted them up the stairwell to a private meeting room that had a back window that overlooked the entire clubhouse bar area. There was a **long table** in the middle that had several high-ranking biker members with patches that read **Elder** , **Higher** , and **Lesser** sewn on their black leather vests.

The chair at the head of the table was empty, with its member standing with his back to them, watching the clubhouse through the window overlooking them.

" **My lords** ," their escort politely greeted and bowed, " **Phantasm** and **Grey Ghost** are here to speak with you, **King Dracula** ,"

The member at the window slowly turned to face his guests.

The leader seemed well into his late 40s, with grey hair lining the sides of his full head of black hair and into beard. His skin was tan, with several tattoos inked onto the visible skin underneath his neck.

What made him stand out the most was that he wasn't wearing a leather vest. Instead, he wore a black leather long coat, with his chest patch on the right side reading **King**.

For the most part, he was a very handsome man.

"Greetings," He spoke, his voice deep, dark, a tinge of sternness, and with a Portuguese accent, "My associates in the **Underground** told me that this meeting was important?"

"Indeed, Lord Dracula," Wren spoke, "We are here to request a safe transport to a set of coordinates out in the **Amazon Rainforest**."

The ranking members on the table began whispering amongst themselves, a few of them shaking their heads. Dracula glared at them, impatiently waiting for them to cease their subtle chatter.

"I **see** ," he calmly sighed, taking a seat at the head of the table, "Tell me, **why** does this concern me? Or better yet, **why** should I help you?"

"The **war** is coming here," Selena spoke out, "Surely, you know that,"

"My concern is with the **S.H.I.E.L.D.** bastards hunting my people. This **world war** is none of my concern, so long as my people aren't affected."

"Well, guess what? It's going to end up here **sooner or later** and **your people** will be the **first ones** targeted by this entity attacking the planet," Selena sternly warned.

Dracula focused his gaze on Selena, witnessing the **fire** in her eyes that she was extremely serious about this.

"And what does your transport to these coordinates do for this war?"

"It's… it's a long story. **Please**. We have the money to pay you for your help and we can't do this alone. The sooner we get there the better off things will be," Selena pleaded.

The biker leader drew a brown cigar from his coat and sparked a small match to light it, puffing out smoke after placing his lips on it. He gestured for the escort biker to bring them both a seat.

"Well, **we've got time** ," Dracula assured them, "If this **war** is as threatening as you say it is, especially to **my people** , then I'd like to **fully understand** it."

Once they had seats to sit in, the escort biker left the room and closed the doors behind him.

They spent the next few hours to explain the **whole situation** to **Dracula** , who listened intently, along with the ranking members of the **Vampiric League** at the table. This was all to convince them to help them out.

* * *

 _Back at Alpha Base…_

 **Alpha-what?! Who the hell calls a secret base "Alpha"?! Weirdo writer, I'm telling you! Ha ha!**

 **C'mon writer, why are you planning to leave us hanging with Cable and I's re-entry back into this story?! You left us hanging since 2016 and you're JUST NOW getting back to this story?!**

…It's a different writer, Wade…

 **I don't care if it's Georgy Martin writing this shit! I've waited TOO LONG to get back into this story!**

Our chapter is next, now sit your ass down while we wait!

 **NO, no, NOOOOOOoope, you better stuff it, Cable! I'm having a moment here, damn it!**

You've caused _enough_ trouble in the past two years.

 **Uhm, yeah?! Now I've got to come back into this lame-ass story to make it better again, am I right, readers?**

It'll have to wait until later on this weekend… The chapter needs time to get written.

 **STILL MORE WAITING?! And Infinity War comes out on Friday in America, don't it?! God damn it! My chapter is going to be overshadowed by an overpriced, big-budget Hollywood film!**

Well, to be fair, it's not just _any_ Hollywood film.

 **If it's not my SECOND movie, then it's just another cash-grab pile of horseshit, and you KNOW it.**

Ugh, you're unbearable. If you're done being a little bitch, I'm going to go get some coffee in the break room.

 **Wait, WAIT, Cable! CABLE!**

… **Cable? Are you still there?**

 **(Sighs), you've GOT to be shitting me.**

 **Alright, kiddies, looks like we're going to have to wait for my chapter to get published. Hey YOU! Yes YOU! Aferus, Jack, whatever the fuck you want to call yourself these days, you better get this chapter published ASAP, PRONTO, this is your HIGHEST priority!**

 **Deadpool out.**

 **And I'm not saying out as in I'm done out. I'm not done here damn it!**

 **I'm saying like, out, as in I'll be back "out"…**

 **And not like an Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator I'll be back… More like… just a "temporary out", see what I'm saying?!**

 **Oh no! Damn it, I'm running out of typing room here…**

 **What do I say… Sh*t, F**k!**

 **What the hell? I'm getting censored now?!**

 **Um…Um…**

 _ **PHANTOM IS A STUPID NAME FOR A SUPERHERO! CABLE'S NAME SUCKS TOO!**_

 **Ahhh, I'm running out of typing spac**


	25. Deadpool & Cable

_**Deadpool & Cable**_

* * *

 _That night, on_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

After the briefings, **Fox** returned to her room in the billeting platform and took a hot shower to wash away the dirt and sweat from the day. She sat on her bed afterwards, meditating, and thinking about what happened earlier between her and **Phantom**. An hour or so into her meditation, she began to drift off into sleep.

Glancing over at the digital clock next to her bed, she saw that it was already **2:34am** and so she quickly dressed into her night attire and snuggled into the covers. Her mind raced with the thoughts she had about her date with Phantom and what it would mean going forward between them.

She knew in her heart that she cared for him in a manner more than just that of a friend, but she worried about those feelings ultimately ruining the bond they had now. Yet, after today, she wondered if Phantom reciprocated those feelings.

Allowing her mind to wander, she drifted off into slumber…

* * *

 _ **Fox's dream-scape**_ _…_

She awoke to the sounds of screams and whispers blending into the ambience around her. Fox found herself lying on the ground of a city street, with fire and debris everywhere and the skies as red as blood.

Slowly getting on her feet, she saw the bodies of men, women, and children strewn about. **Dead**. In pools of their own blood.

She covered her mouth, gasping at the sight of it all.

Several feet ahead of her, **Reaper** and **Phantom** materialized before her. Reaper was holding up Phantom by his throat with his right hand.

"You **couldn't save** them, **Phantom** ," Reaper darkly spoke to him, "Your allies have **fallen**. You have **no one left** to **help** **you**."

Suddenly, the bodies of their teammates appeared around them like a circle. Her heart dropped when she saw the bodies of **Captain America** , **Iron Man** , **White Tiger** , **Luke Cage** , and the others who were fighting with them.

"W-Why?" Phantom struggled to question, "W-why did you **k-kill** them?"

"Because **you don't deserve** a happy ending. I lost **everything** I held dear. The way I see it, **you** and **I** were always destined to **lose everything**."

"You… you **killed her** ," Phantom choked.

Reaper chuckled.

" **She** was your **destiny** , Phantom. **She** was your only guarantee to a **happy life**. As much as I loved her too, I couldn't afford you having what I couldn't."

"Please!" Fox cried out, "Don't kill him!"

Just then, the entire world around her shifted into another setting. She now found herself in some sort of **throne room** , with the walls decorated into a bone-like design. Above her, a giant glass ceiling looked out into what she though was **outer space**.

 **Reaper** and **Phantom** re-materialized before her, but this time, they were fighting head-on with their swords. Swinging left and right, dodging and deflecting each other's lunges and slashes, the two specters weren't holding back.

"You fight for a race that would rather murder each other than to resort to peace, **Phantom**!" Reaper warned between attacks, "What I promise is **salvation**!"

" **Genocide** is **not salvation**!" Phantom defiantly shouted back.

"We are **uplifting** them to a new **existence**!"

"You're taking away their free will!"

Reaper ceased his attacks, giving the two of them pause for breath.

"Until you have lost what I've lost, I don't expect you to understand," Reaper remarked.

As Fox was about to withdraw her katana to help Phantom in the fight, the setting changed again. She then realized that she was seeing fragments of a **vision**. A peek into the future that she's unable to decipher.

It changed to one **final** vision.

The light of the sun blinded her as the view of a white sandy beach and beautiful blue ocean water materialized. Far ahead, she saw a couple, both holding a child in their arms.

A boy and a girl. Toddlers.

Twins.

She couldn't make out the faces of the man and woman, but she gasped as she realized the woman had a **White Fox** tattoo identical to hers on the exact same place **she** has it on.

"Is that… is that… me?" Her voice died to a whisper.

Fox fell to her knees, overcome with emotion of what she was witnessing. It was a continuation of the vision she saw in **Reaper's Dream Nexus** two years prior.

"It's… it's…"

"…happiness," a familiar voice finished her sentence.

She glanced over and saw **Phantom** stand over her. She knew it wasn't the **real** Phantom, but the entity that has protected her in her dreams all her life since the experiment.

"Is that…us?" She questioned the entity.

He stared at the couple and watch them fade away into the horizon.

"That's for you to find out," he answered.

* * *

 _Back on Alpha Base…_

Fox woke up, sweating, from her dream, breathing heavily with her heart racing. She sat up and slightly teared up from what she had seen, but quickly gathered herself, and resumed a session of meditation to review her vision.

* * *

 _Deep in the underground subway tunnels…_ _ **Manhattan**_ _…_

The **Manhattan Resistance** , comprised of National Guardsmen, NYPD officers, and defectors from **S.H.I.E.L.D.** rallied up in the tunnels underneath the surface of the city. After a day of jumping to another temporary sanctum, the main group that had civilians who couldn't fight hid underground.

The **RSF** had figured out that the resistance was hiding underground, and routinely sent patrols to scan each inch of the stations and tunnels. On the surface, **Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinels** utilized dedicated scanners to search for heat signatures underground.

For the moment, the resistance group had found a safe zone where the civilians they had with them could rest, eat, and prepare for the next movement. Amongst them, **Nick Fury** marched with his captains and lieutenants that he had appointed over the week since he helped organize them.

"Our groups in the upper west side are reporting increased activity, **General** , the **RSF** are closing in on their position," one of his aides reported as he walked through the tunnel's entrance.

The resistance had grown accustomed to **Fury's** leadership, calling him **The General**. He didn't care for the nickname at all, but he allowed them to call him if it made them feel better about the situation.

"Tell the commander there to send a forward scout group to secure a pathway out of the area and send the civilians who can't fight through to the next secure location south of his position," Fury ordered back.

"On it, sir."

As his men dispersed rations and water to the civilians, he took a walk through the small encampment on the tracks within the tunnel to see how they were doing. A lot of them were scared, some crying over lost loved ones, others injured beyond help and trying to make peace with their time.

It stung deep into Fury's core to see these people in such a state of distress. It wasn't their fault that this was happening, and now he was doing all he could to ensure they had a means to defend themselves against **Reaper** and his forces.

He walked by a couple who were grieving, glancing over before realizing he knew one of them.

"Don't worry, **Maria** , we'll get through this," the man assured his beloved.

"I don't know, **Fernand** ," Maria wept, "I can't believe this is happening."

It was Maria Escobar, Phantom's ex-wife.

Fury was tempted to say something, to assure the two of them that things will be okay. But, he decided otherwise. He knew that Maria probably still blamed him for what happened to **Alejandro Cruz** , and that was one wound he didn't want to reopen, especially now with their current situation.

"God. I hope my **Selena** is okay, **wherever** she is," Maria sadly told her husband.

Fury closed his eye, pained by what he was hearing.

He continued marching on through the crowds, praying that **R.O.G.U.E.** would return soon to save them all.

* * *

 _Back at the_ _ **Vampiric League**_ _clubhouse…_

By the time dawn approached, **Selena** and **Wren** had finished explaining the global situation to **Dracula** , who simply listened attentively. He asked questions when needed, but for the most part, just **listened** , along with the ranking members of the biker gang.

When they finished, Dracula seemed to lose himself in his thoughts for a moment, contemplating what he should do next.

" **Phantasm**. **Grey Ghost**. If you both could wait outside for a few moments," Dracula then politely requested.

The two obeyed and were escorted outside the doors.

Selena could hear the members of the group debate on helping out or not. The **Elder Vampires** seemed to protest helping, opting to stay isolated and choose negotiations with the **Reaper** should he bring his forces to **Brazil**.

"We will **not ally** ourselves with this entity," Dracula fervently argued, " **Vampires** have been on the wrong side of history for **far too long**. Why do you think we are in hiding? **No**. The mistakes of our past should not be repeated."

"But, my **king** ," one of the other vampires spoke, "What do we stand to **lose** if we decide to help them?"

"Our business. Our connections. Our agreements we've worked **so hard** to obtain are **all at risk**. You **must** tread carefully," another vampire suggested.

Things went silent for a while.

"I will bring this **information** to the **Cat**. If this war is coming to **Brazil** , then the **Underground must** be informed. Her, the **Squirrel** , and the others will help us decide," Dracula finally chose, "For now, I see **no harm** in helping them get to their desired location."

"As you wish, my king," several of the vampires, in-sync, expressed.

"Do we have any **blood runs** out that way?" Dracula questioned as he studied the coordinates.

"We have one out to some of the neighboring villages in the area. It will take us a day's time to get there with our rides, but I'd suggest bringing additional support," an Elder Vampire spoke.

"Why is that?"

"One of our contacts out there reported **Kraven** hunting in that region. He is after that **White Tiger** person of interest."

Dracula sighed.

" **That** will complicate things."

"Should we continue, my king?"

The leader simply nodded.

Dracula informed **Phantasm** and **Grey Ghost** about their decision to aid them but that they would have to be patient until their blood run out to those coordinates is prepared to leave. However, he assured them that they would send additional vampires to bolster the transport.

They would leave in the early morning hours of the next day.

* * *

 _Early morning on_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

 **The Avengers** returned from their night reconnaissance mission and there was a few hours' time before the next one. **Fox** got dressed early on and headed down to the mess hall to get breakfast. As she turned the corner to the corridor in the billeting platform, she ran **face first** into **Phantom's** chest on accident as the two specters collided.

" **Fox**! I'm **so sorry**! I should've looked where I was going," Phantom quickly apologized.

"No, no, it's **okay** , **tonto** ," she sternly insisted.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Is there something you needed?"

Phantom was taken back. There was no doubt that Fox's indifference was because of what he said to her yesterday. But, all the same, he had hoped it didn't affect their conversations.

"Uh, nothing at the present," he simply answered.

"Okay," Fox commented and kept walking, leaving Phantom confused.

She bit her lip, mustering all of her courage not to turn back and apologize. But, she still really did feel **stung** from what Phantom had expressed earlier.

Phantom watched, feeling his heart sink a little bit seeing her leave. He took a deep sigh before turning the corner to walk back to his room. He stopped to look back at her, to see if she would look back at him as well, but she didn't.

As he walked away…

She had looked back.

* * *

 _Down at the Mess-Hall…_

Nova took a deep sigh, watching the food he picked up on his plate. The **Guardians of the Galaxy** , Peter, Luke, and Danny sat around him at the table, conversing about what Director Hill had told the Guardians once they joined on.

"You better eat your human food, kid. It'll spoil," Rocket lectured, "And if you don't, you better give it to me."

"And **this** is why he's the **trash panda** ," Quill murmured.

"Say that again, Quill, I'll use your toothbrush to scrub Drax's toilet!"

Quill ignored him.

"So, what **else** did Director Hill tell you guys?" Luke inquired as he munched on his omelette.

"Besides the obvious," Gamora answered, "She wants us to use our **galactic knowledge** to help stop **Reaper** and strip him of his **Infinity Gems** ,"

"…which is easier **said than done** ," Nova added, taking a bite from his food and spitting it out, disgusted.

"I am **Groot**."

"The tree is right," Drax concurred, "We saw the **Reaper's** design for the **World-Ender**. Your primary concern should be **that machine**."

Gamora nodded.

"It doesn't help that there's **two** other **Infinity Gems** on this planet."

"Right?" Rocket chuckled, "The **Mind Gem and** the **Time Gem** are on this planet too. Two more and your old man is going to have a field day coming to **this** planet."

"Let's **not** talk about that," Quill sighed.

Peter noticed Sam having a hard time eating his food.

"You okay, Sam?"

"I'm fine, web-head. Just didn't sleep too well."

"Oh? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Sam quietly answered, "To be honest, I haven't been able to sleep good in the past two years ever since that son-of-a-bitch **Reaper** took control of my mind. I keep having nightmares."

Peter put a hand on his friend's shoulder. He knew how **that** felt. Even still, he felt like his mind was still partially tethered to **Reaper's** , even **with** Dr. Strange's magic having removed him from it.

"Don't worry, dude, you're back with **us** now."

Sam faintly smiled.

"Yeah, still doesn't stop the nightmares, though. But, thanks for the thought."

"So y'all are just going to… kiss now, right?" Rocket joked.

"You know, Rocket, sometimes you should just **not** say **anything** ," Gamora snapped.

"Hey, I'm just asking."

Suddenly, a **siren** rang off throughout the **entire** base, alerting all personnel to armor-up and head over to the **command platform**. An **un** **authorized** portal was opening up and they weren't sure **who** was coming through.

Within minutes, the command center was **flooded** with agents, along with the rest of the super-teams. They were all aiming down at this nine-foot-wide circular bluish portal that had randomly opened up, disrupting all communications within the center and emitting an array of screams, hollering, and explosions from within it.

"What's going on?" Steve Rogers inquired once him and the other **Avengers** showed up.

"See for yourself, Cap," Tony remarked, having armored up in his **Iron Man** suit.

"We don't know where this is coming from!" Director Hill informed the rest, "Just **be** prepared for **whatever** comes out of it!"

"Of course," Phantom withdrew his sword.

Just then, the sounds silenced from beyond the portal and a **flurry** of **popcorn** came flying out of the portal. Then…

 **Deadpool** walked out of it, holding a bucket of popcorn and was munching on it.

"Ohhhhhhh my **God**!" He exclaimed, "You guys, I **just** got out of seeing **Infinity War** and **holyyy shit** , what an **ending**!"

"D-Deadpool?!" Spidey identified.

Deadpool suddenly looked confused, glancing back and forth between everyone, and dropping his bucket of popcorn.

"What. The. Fuck? This **isn't** the movie theater lobby!"

"Deadpool!" Director Hill shouted, "Stand down, **now**!"

Deadpool's eyes widened when he saw Hill.

"Oh my **God**! I just saw you-"

A huge metallic hand then reached out, out of the portal, and grabbed Deadpool by his mouth, shutting him up. The hand extended out into a metallic arm and a grey-haired man marched out. He had a rather large rifle at his right hand and a bright yellow laser-equipped left eye.

"That's **Cable**!" Spidey pointed out.

"There will be **no spoilers** in this chapter, **Wade** ," Cable threateningly told Deadpool, "You going to keep your mouth shut?"

Deadpool looked around and just shook his head.

"Looks like you're going to stay quiet then, **jackass**."

"What the **hell** is going on?!" Director Hill inquired, "Who are **you** and what the hell are you doing here with **Deadpool**?!"

The portal behind Cable suddenly closed up.

"The name's **Cable**! As **Spider-Man** pointed out."

Deadpool squirmed his way out of his hand.

"You **totally** just stole that line from the Deadpool 2 trailer!" He angrily pointed out.

"Put your weapon down, Cable!" Falcon warned him.

The mutant calmly put his rifle down and raised his arms, glancing over at Deadpool to do the same.

Deadpool sighed, doing the same.

"Not like it'll make a difference. You kids ever seen a **Swiss Cheese Deadpool** before?!"

"What are you guys doing back here?" Spidey spoke up, calmly approaching them.

"Maybe they're working for **Reaper**?" Steve suggested.

"Do we **really** look like we work for him?" Cable sternly asked, "If we did, we wouldn't have shown up **here** , of all places."

"Plus, the readers already know that **we're the good guys** , so, **of course not**!" Deadpool happily assured them.

Everyone looked at each other, confused.

"So, what **are** you guys doing here?" Phantom questioned.

"Well, we **were** waiting for douchebag writer up there to finish writing this story back in 2016," Deadpool complained, "We **thought** this story would be finished in **2017** , but then his ass **had** to leave and **abandon** writing it. It wasn't easy either. Cable and I thought we were out of a job for **months** before this story got picked up again."

"Wait, **what**?" Quill questioned, "Cable, is your boy **all there** , man?"

"Just ignore him, folks. I know **I do** ," Cable answered.

Deadpool crossed his arms and starting murmuring to himself.

"Just tell them what they need to know so we can get to the next chapter already," he whispered to Cable.

"We're here to **help** ," Cable expressed, "We've been through various futures in both this universe and others. We've faced off with **Reaper** directly, only to fail multiple times. This universe is the primary point of this **multiversal** conflict. One that we both want to resolve."

"Wait," Fox expressed, approaching them, "So, you guys have seen the future?"

"Figuratively," Cable answered, "Each future we've witnessed had a different outcome with the intrusion of **Reaper's forces**. We'd gladly like to explain further… if we didn't have all these **rifles** pointed at us."

"I'm also handing free tickets to my movie on May 18. If… if anyone's interested," Deadpool happily told them, pulling out a wad of ticket stubs.

Director Hill ordered the agents to stand down and they escorted the duo to a secure meeting room, big enough for the other groups to join in on and listen to what **Cable** and **Deadpool** had to report.

"Give us **one** reason why we should listen to you after you escaped our custody, **Deadpool** ," Coulson coldly inquired.

" **Coulson** , my boy! I was busy trying to **save the future** with **Cable**! Spidey! Webs! Parker, darling, **tell him**!"

"You tried to rob a bank right in front of me, Deadpool,"

"…to help with the war effort?"

"Stop lying, Wade," Cable murmured.

Deadpool sighed.

" **Fine**. I'm… I'm sorry, Coulson," Deadpool sadly expressed, "Pause for dramatic effect... **I'm so sorry! Taskmaster** , he… he tried to brainwash me, man! He gave me all these bags of money and **forced** me to help him! I told him **no**! That my honor was worth more than his **money**! I'm… I'm ashamed!"

Cable rolled his eyes, glancing at the others.

"I have to **deal** with this **shit**. That should be **enough** reason for you all to listen," he firmly assured them.

 **Cable** then told them the outcomes of what lies ahead of them. He pointed out that the **Reaper** and **Phantom** entities have fought each other in other timelines in different futures. They've had to cross different timelines in order to understand the conflict to the best of their ability. In each universe, they witnessed a different component of the conflict, centralizing on the overall fact that **Reaper knows Phantom** and each move he'll make before he makes it.

This leads them to believe that the conflicts they've witnessed in the other timelines was **Reaper practicing** to defeat the one and only **Phantom** in this specific universe. He's seen every outcome just as they have and has bent reality through the **Reality Gem** to conform each point of his victory to his advantage.

"Do you have anything to add to this, **Dr. Strange**?" Director Hill asked, being that **Strange has** the **Time Gem**.

"If they've indeed witnessed this conflict several times over, it would mean that **Reaper knows** how this will all end, in some way, shape, or form," he answered, "But, I have **reservations**."

"Oh, this should be good," Deadpool commented.

"How did he **not** see the transformation of **Phantasm** coming into play as we learned was a surprise to him on **Island M**? How did he not **know** that **Phantom** wouldn't become a bloodthirsty **Reaper** as he has?"

Deadpool and Cable glanced at each other.

" **That's why** we came here," Cable pointed out, " **Phantasm's** in **this** timeline. That is **one** factor that makes this outcome unknown to us. **She** and her partner have seen more timelines than we have, in ones that **she's** interfered in. We're not sure her relevance, but… we **know** that **Reaper** avoids her at **all costs**. He is afraid of her and what she's become."

"…because she's an anomaly," Coulson concluded.

"Correct."

Fox and Peter glanced to Phantom, who seemed ready to ask about his daughter.

"As for **Phantom's creation** , it's happened in other timelines as well, but we've seen it fail too. It looks like **Reaper** took his time to **practice** in the past two years, moving the entirety of **Asteroid M** to different **Earths** in order to rehearse for this specific invasion. It's how he took control of most of the planet so quickly," Cable continued.

"So for you readers who might be a little confused, **Reaper** left to practice his invasion in **other timelines by bending reality** using the **Reality Gem** , **ONLY** in timelines where **Phantasm** , Phantom's daughter, was absent. It means **he knows something** about her that makes her an ultimate threat to **him**. In those timelines, **Phantom** loses," Deadpool quickly pointed out.

"Can you stop doing that for **one second**?" Cable angrily expressed.

"Hey, **you're the one** making this more confusing than it needs to be, Summers! Josh Brolin, whoever the hell you are these days!"

The groups took a moment to process this information.

"So, my **daughter**. She's here?" Phantom anxiously asked, his right hand subtly shaking.

Cable nodded.

"She knows something **we don't** ," Cable added, "She's in **Brazil** searching for something as we speak."

"I'm surprised you **losers** aren't there yet," Deadpool scoffed, "While you're all busy trying to win the war on half of the planet, **Reaper's** winding up to strike the rest of it!"

Phantom glanced over to Director Hill.

"We **need** to get to **Brazil**. **Fast**."

"I **second** that!" Peter eagerly added, " **Ava's there**!"

"I **told** you he'd say that!" Deadpool humorously murmured to Cable.

Without another word, Director Hill launched their next phase of operations, to concentrate on **Brazil**. **Black Widow** forwarded her contacts in the **Underground** , and so **they** would be the first ones they'd have to ask in order to get information on **Selena** , **Wren** , and **Ava**.

"About time we get this story **moving** ," Deadpool chuckled, "I **told you** , **2018** is **our year** , Summers!"

"Oh, shut up, Wade. We're going to have to remove your mouth again if you keep yapping."

" **Remove it**?! You know how **badly** that movie sucked?! You want to do that again?! Jeez, and I thought **I** was **crazy**!"

* * *

 **Note**

Hey my dudeess! Another chap up for your reading entertainment! If you haven't watched **Infinity War** yet, GO WATCH IT, it will change your life. **NO SPOILERS HERE, though.**

I'll be playing the rest of the chapters by ear this week and the next because finals are coming up for me and I'll be crunching harder to make sure I pass them. So, just letting yall know.

also, if youve msgd me and i haven't responded, soooo sorry for the delay. been juggling a million things at once lol. but im getting there

thanx for yalls support! =D hit that follow/fave button if you wanna read more!

-jack montero


	26. Dancing with Cats

_**Dancing with Cats**_

* * *

 _In the jungle areas near_ _ **Rio**_ _…_

 **Ava** had made her way back to the city after **Kraven** had discovered her hut and nearby hiding places and had set up ambushes for her. She had had a few close calls with the hunter, but she was actively avoiding trying to bring him out to a confrontation.

The **Jade Tiger Amulet** was forcing her to revert to her primal instincts more and more each day, making her fear that she might lose herself to the **Tiger** , without the power to control her actions.

She was running out of options, and it didn't help that Kraven had tracked her to the outskirts of the city after he realized that she wasn't going to take the bait in the jungle.

By the dawn of the next day, she found a small truck garage on a back road that seemed to be closed on its day off to hide in.

She was thirsty, her lips dry, and in need of **water** after the chase back to the edges of **Rio**. In a fridge in one of the side-rooms of the garage, she found a partially cold bottle of water and gulped it down, examining her surroundings as she did so.

Tired, she leaned back on a wall and sat down. With her constantly on the run, it was getting increasingly harder and harder to find time to stop and **rest**.

For the moment, it seemed she had found time.

After massaging her feet, sore from the constant running and jumping, she slowly closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around her legs and slumbered.

Down the road, **Kraven's** hunting party stopped several miles west of Ava's location. Kraven had gotten out of his truck to examine a pair of human footprints on a patch of dirt several feet away from the main road.

"Boss," one of his scouts called out from the lead truck, "Someone at **S.H.I.E.L.D.** is on the phone for you."

Kraven rolled his eyes as he retreated from the dirt patch and back to the truck. Snatching it away from the scout, he pressed the phone to his ear.

"What do you want?" He angrily inquired.

"Now, now, Sergei. That's **not** the way to talk to your strongest supporter," a man's voice sharply answered.

"You've got me in the middle of the **hunt**. She is **close**."

"I see. Well, you better find her **fast**. My spy contact in **R.O.G.U.E.** tells me that **Specter Haven** , **The Avengers** , the **X-Men** , and **Spider-Man's team** are on their way to **Rio**. **That** will complicate things for our operations in that region."

"Once I have the girl's head on a dish and her amulet in my possession, **then** I can help you stop them," Kraven fervently claimed.

"You're running out of time, Kraven. I will send my men to secure our mutant/mutate camps in the region and begin to subject them to my master's will."

"Wait, **h-he's** coming?" Kraven's voice shook for a moment.

"He wants to accelerate the plan. **Rio** is in his crosshairs. The invasion of the city will commence soon. You have the day to find **Ava Ayala** or let her perish in flames along with the rest of the city."

With that, the phone call ended and Kraven hesitated to put it down, glancing over to his men.

" **Find** me a trail. I want her **dead** by the end of the day."

* * *

 _Outside the_ _ **Vampiric League**_ _clubhouse…_

 **Selena** and **Wren** bought inconspicuous clothing so to not attract attention to themselves on their trip out into the jungle. Once they were ready, they headed over to the clubhouse and saw a formation of bikes stationed in front of the club, ready to head off on their **blood run**. Outside, **Dracula** and a few of his followers were waiting for them already.

He respectfully greeted them on their arrival.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to honor our deal," Selena darkly remarked.

Dracula chuckled.

"That is **offensive** , my dear. I will bring the information you've provided to me to the rest of the **Underground** today. Collectively, we will make the decision as to how to deal with this… threat."

"Then we thank you, Lord Dracula, for your assistance in getting us to the location we need to be," Wren graciously responded.

"I just hope you both find what you are looking for. My men will take you as far out as a few miles east of your coordinates. The exact location is hidden deep in the brush of the jungle. Our bikes can't go through. Don't let the wildlife eat you."

"Thanks, we'll do our best," Selena sarcastically answered, "Good luck to you guys. You'll need it once the war shows up."

With that, they loaded up in the two separate sidecars attached to the middle two bikers in the 10-vampire formation. The crowds of the local populace watched as the formation drove off towards the principal highway out of the city.

* * *

 _Back on Alpha Base…_

Hours before the rise of the sun on the Pacific Ocean, the teams readied up their gear, their weapons, and their plans tackling **Rio. Director Hill** went over the plans several times over, not getting an ounce of sleep, with **Coulson** , **Steve** , **Tony** , **Professor X** , and **Phantom**. The **Super Electrode** was ready to deploy, with another, more refined one on the way. They were going to modify it into the main engine drive on-board _**The Eidolon**_ and activate it should the **RSF** show up.

"This better work, **Tony** ," Steve remarked as the two Avengers marched off to brief their team.

"I hope so too. It'll be a short battle if it doesn't," Tony answered.

 **Wolverine** , **Gambit** , and **Professor X** will take the **X-Jet** and begin scouring the locations of their suspected mutant/mutate camps and pinpoint the areas. Half of the **Avengers** will then move forward and help them in liberating those camps. Additionally, they hoped to find **Wanda** in these camps, someway somehow.

The other half will go directly to the city government and convince them to begin mass evacuations of the city. If not, they'll do so anyway. **R.O.G.U.E.** stationed five larger heli-carriers out in the ocean to facilitate the evacuation, and to not bring out the **S.H.I.E.L.D.** heli-carrier stationed within the city into a conflict.

 **Daredevil** , **Jessica** , **Colleen** , and **Frank** will join **Specter Haven** on their rendezvous mission with the **Underground** , to which **Black Widow** was able to set up a meeting with at their nightclub. Formal wear mandatory. **Deadpool** also insisted on going and bugged Coulson until he allowed him to go with.

The **Guardians** would provide aerial patrol in case the teams needed a quick extraction in their new and improved _**Milano II**_ , capable of space-travel, which was just a modified space-worthy Quinjet.

 **Spidey** , **Luke** , **Danny** , and **Sam** would accompany them as well, to see if they had any information on the whereabouts of **Ava**.

While they waited for the **Aven-Jet** , the **X-Jet** , and the _**Eidolon**_ to get prepped and ready to deploy, Phantom caught up with Peter in one of the lounges.

"I bet **you're** anxious," Phantom remarked upon seeing Peter sitting, shaking his knee.

"A little!"

Phantom sat next to him and subtly chuckled.

"I hope I'm there to see your reaction upon seeing her again. I know how much she means to you."

Peter slowly nodded, staring off at the Plexiglas window in front of them with a view of a coral reef.

"I'm just… I'm nervous as to what I'll say to her, you know? Like, will she still feel the same way? Will she hate me? Will she have met… someone else? I'm worried about that."

"I know how **that** feels," Phantom sympathized.

"Yeah but **you lost** Maria. It doesn't help my case here, man."

"Thank you for the **reminder** , web-head," the specter sarcastically answered, "No, I meant **before** my days at S.H.I.E.L.D., when I was in the **Marines**. I'd always wonder if Maria would be there for me at the end of every deployment. The letters helped when they could. But, I always had a shred of doubt lodged in my **mind** , never in my **heart**."

"I'm… I'm sorry that she's not with you anymore, Phantom,"

"What I'm trying to say, Peter, is that your love for her is **here** ," he pointed at Peter's chest, "…in your **heart**. Your doubts are up **here** , in your **head**. No matter what happens in Brazil, your love for her will always be there, and that's something not even the **universe** can deny you. **Ever**."

Peter closely listened, understanding what the specter was trying to tell him.

"Thanks, Phantom. I'll… I'll try doing that."

He knew what Phantom was trying to tell him, and it helped his situation a little. Not really removing the whole cloud of doubt, but it made him feel confident in what he felt for Ava.

But, he wanted to change the subject.

"So, you and **Fox**?"

"What about it?"

"You've got great advice about relationships and all but I've yet to see you practice what you preach when it comes to **her**."

Unbeknownst to them, **Fox** was walking around the hallways, carrying a dress suitable for the rendezvous meeting with the **Underground**. She heard her name be called and she turned invisible and listened in.

"Fox is… a special woman, Peter. I care for her **a lot** as you and the rest of the world has **unnecessarily** observed…"

"…But?" Peter pressed on.

"…But it's what I feel for her that makes me fear having my heart shattered again. Or, for that matter, shattering **hers**. I've endured one heartbreak that drove me to working with the likes of **Taskmaster** , I don't know what I'd do if it happened again. And… I couldn't **bear** to break her heart if anything happened to me."

"…But, if she cares about you, then why not?"

"It's not that simple, Peter."

"Phantom, it **is** that simple. You're sitting here telling me about listening to my **heart** before my **mind** but you're sitting there living your life by your **mind** and not your **heart**."

"I… I just don't know yet, Peter. Perhaps… in time… I'll tell her how I truly feel."

"Well, we're running out of time, Phantom. The world's kind of ending, you know?"

"I know."

With that, Phantom left to prepare his own dress-attire to meet with the **Underground**. Fox contemplated on what she heard and returned to her own room as well.

Before Peter left the lounge, **Luke** and the rest of his teammates showed up.

"You guys got your suits ready yet?" Peter curiously asked upon seeing them.

Luke sighed, sitting back, relaxed on one of the couches.

" **Something** like that. They're trying to find material sturdy enough to match my size."

" **Figures** you'd need something like that! We needed to fix the doorways of our heli-carrier when we first joined up the team years ago because of your **tall stature**!" Sam joked.

"For the most part, yes, we all have our dress suits ready," Danny kindly answered Peter's question, "I believe yours is ready on-board the ship too."

"Man, I **hate** suits," Peter complained, "We'll have our costumes on underneath, right?"

" **Duh** , webs, of course!" Sam snapped, "Well, **you** guys do. I don't need one! Just need this here helmet, you see."

"Cheater," Luke murmured.

"Not even! Just a smart costume idea!"

"We can't **all** be cosmic warriors here, Sam," Peter remarked.

"Pfft, you guys are just **jealous**. You always **were**! Say, speaking of dress suits, you guys should've **seen Danny** over here gawking at **Colleen** when they gave **her** a dress!"

"She looked very beautiful in that dress, I cannot deny that,"

"You weren't staring at her front, Danny!"

The human fortune cookie slightly blushed.

"That's **nothing** ," Luke sat up, "I saw the two of them laughing over lunch the other day in the mess hall. Danny was talking up a good game to make her giggle so much."

"Well, she is a lovely woman!" Danny protested.

"That's true," Sam enthusiastically agreed, "What about **you** , Luke? You and that **Jessica** chick like… banging? Or just kissy kissy terms?"

"Man, **Jessica** would **rearrange** your **face** for that type of smack, Sam," Luke humored, "She and I… we're just together. That's all I'll say on that subject."

"I remember you had a thing for **Selena** back when we were heading up **Island M** two years back," Peter brought up, "What happened with **that**?"

"You mean besides her just straight up **disappearing**?" Luke emphasized his question, "I moved on, web-head. There wasn't a whole lot of commitment or feelings in that one, but I still worry about where she might've gone nonetheless."

"That's true," Peter retracted the question, "What about **you** , Sam? Found anyone in your life?"

"Me? Pleeeeease, Parker. I'm doing **just fine** riding **solo**."

"He means that he has not found a woman willing to put up with him and his mountain of problems," Danny sarcastically joked.

They all laughed at Sam's expense.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up losers! If only **Ava** were here to tell you guys to shut up and say 'ugh, **boys** ' or something along those lines!"

"Then **web-head** over here would just take her to a secluded room and they'd **make out** , completely **voiding** that!" Luke added.

"Oh **boy** , just you wait until he discovers the **'doing it'** part," Sam laughed, crossing his arms.

"Who are **you** talking about, buckethead?" Luke questioned, "It's not like **you've** gotten any action!"

Sam neither confirmed or denied it.

Just then, the call went out and ordered everyone to the docking bays according to the team they corresponded with. The jets loaded up and exited the docking bays in formation and out towards the direction of South America. With their speed, they'd get there around dusk.

From the landing bays, **Cable** , **Director Hill** , and **Coulson** watched as the docking bays closed behind them, knowing that this would be their biggest joint operation yet.

"Godspeed, teams," Hill told them over their communicators.

Upon arrival, the **X-Jet** , carrying the **X-Men** , **Vision** , **Iron Man** , **Hawkeye** , **Falcon** & **Ant-Man** , would change its course to begin investigating the camps in the Amazon Rainforest a way's away. The **Aven-Jet** , carrying **Captain America** , **Black Panther** , **Bucky** , and **Dr. Strange** would go the opposite way, towards the government center of the city to appeal to their leaders to begin the evacuation process.

 **Black Widow** remained on-board _**The Eidolon**_ to serve as their liaison between them and the **Underground** , who had agreed to meet them.

 **Peter** couldn't contain his nerves, anxious to be in the location where **Ava** is supposed to be. He knew she wasn't far away now and trembled in knowing that.

* * *

 _In the truck garage…_

Ava awoke to the sounds of someone trying to crowbar their way through the garage door. She could hear boots stepping outside, as well as sensing **Kraven's** presence amongst them.

They'd found her!

On her feet, she snuck down to the ground and crawled to the rear door that led into the forest behind the garage. Her heart raced as she got closer.

Slowly opening the door, she peered over both corners to see if anyone was nearby.

 **Nobody**.

She stepped forward only to step right onto a snare trap that tightened around her ankle and pulled her up into the tree hanging over the door's entrance.

" **Shit**!" she exclaimed.

Hanging upside down, she tried pulling up to cut the cable that held her by her right ankle, but it was reinforced wire. Hard to cut.

She heard a dark and familiar maniacal laugh nearby, followed by the slow clapping of hands.

 **Kraven** emerged from the forest beyond, grinning from ear to ear.

"At last, the **tiger** has been **caught**. You're a **sneaky** one, **Ayala**."

"Let me **go** , **Kraven**! I swear, I'll rip your face off if you don't!"

" **Touchy** , touchy," he taunted as he approached her, looking up, "You've made me **work** to find you. Instead of hiding deeper into the jungle, you return **here**? My, my, you **have** become naïve."

"W-What do you want?!"

He gazed at the beaming green glow of the **Jade Tiger Amulet** wrapped around her neck, hanging down as though it was offering itself up for Kraven.

"What I've **always wanted** , Ayala."

"You're going to have to take it off my cold dead corpse!" she threatened.

Kraven chuckled as he withdrew a long, serrated silver dagger from his back.

"That's the **plan**. Now, stay still, this will only hurt for **just** a little bit."

He approached her, aiming to stab her right through the heart for a quick death. She panicked for a few seconds, knowing that she had only a second to react.

Kraven raised the dagger, ready to sink the dagger, but she swiftly slashed her claws across his face, drawing blood. He reached down to cover his face, giving her enough time to pull herself up and grab the cable with her hands.

She gripped it as tight as she could, climbing it while the cable dug into the skin of her palms.

"Shoot her!" Kraven ordered his men who was just now showing up.

They began firing off shots at her from their AK-47 style rifles.

She quickly got to the top of the tree and undid the cabling on her ankle, jumping off out of view into the patch of forest behind the garage.

" **Don't let her escape**!" Kraven growled.

"She's headed into the city, sir!"

"After her!"

* * *

 _That night in_ _ **Rio**_ _…_

 _ **The Eidolon**_ landed in an abandoned lot on the far side of town and remained cloaked as to not attract attention. The **Underground** sent a limousine to take them to _**Black Cat's**_ black-tie nightclub in the wealthy district of the city.

 **Phantom** dressed up in a black suit with a black dress shirt underneath and a white tie. He wore the same color dress shoes as well. On his back, he had his sword sheathed and strapped, hidden underneath the suit.

He was waiting for the rest of the team to show up to the command deck. **Peter** , **Luke** , **Danny** , and **Sam** showed up wearing different colored suits: Peter a blue suit with a red tie, Luke a black suit with a yellow tie, Danny an olive-green suit with a yellow tie, and Sam with a black suit and a yellow undershirt and red tie.

They congregated to the side while Sam started roasting everyone's choice of dress suit.

"Hope this won't be like the clubs on **Oceanside** , eh, Cruz?" A familiar voice called out from behind him.

Frank appeared in an all-black suit.

" **Frank**. Haven't seen you in a suit since my wedding," Phantom greeted him.

"Yeah, I'm not liking this. I hate suits."

"You **don't** say? You armed?"

Frank opened up the coat to show an assortment of concealed handguns.

"Was that a serious question?" Frank joked.

 **Wolfe** and **Firewalker** showed up from one of the side rooms on the command deck. Wolfe was wearing this dirty grey suit and hadn't even done his tie. Firewalker stayed classy and wore an all-black suit with a neon red tie.

"God. I **can't** believe you pricks are making me wear this," Wolfe complained.

"My only issue is that this shit ain't fireproof, son," Firewalker added, "I can't go flaming red in this!"

"Not to worry," Phantom assured them, " _ **The Eidolon**_ will deploy a cache with our gear the moment things go south."

"Which is a question of **when** , not **if** ," Frank corrected.

Phantom agreed.

 **Daredevil** ended up joining them in a black suit with a mask covering his head, which, wasn't out of place since **Phantom** continued to wear his mask as well. It just seemed like they were part of a theme.

Suddenly, the elevator lift opened, and the **women** filed out in their dresses, almost instantly catching the attention from **everyone** on the command deck.

 **Black Widow** wore a more formal black dress than the others, with conservative shoes and a waist belt with the red hourglass clasp.

Peter and the others were wondering if **Colleen** had stolen **Danny's** heart with her olive green top and short black skirt with heels. She had her katana sheath grasped with her right hand but it almost seemed like her and Danny had **planned** on matching.

 **Jessica** opted for simple black dress pants and a black top that covered her shoulders, looking like she was going to a business meeting. She rolled her eyes as she walked towards **Luke** with Colleen. It was obvious she didn't want to be dressed like that.

Lastly, was **Fox** ,

who **definitely** stole the spotlight,

as well as **Phantom's full attention**.

She wore a form-fitting white dress that hugged at her curves and exposed her back and shoulders but was held up with two thick straps around at her neck. The dress stopped a few inches above her knees, showing her well-toned legs.

She carefully walked down on silver high heels and smiled when she saw her team.

Nobody could see it, but Phantom's jaw had dropped upon seeing her dressed so beautifully, it sent his heart madly racing.

"Wow, she looks **really** pretty," one of the female specialists observed.

"Yeah she does, now **concentrate** , Cruz," Frank murmured, "We've got work to do."

Fox walked up to the team.

"You look good, kid," Wolfe grinned ear to ear.

"Thanks, Wolfe. You look… stylish?"

"That's my style!" The hunter phantom laughed.

"Damn, girl, that dress is definitely rockin' you good," Firewalker added, " **Specter Haven** gonna enter that club **in styleeee**."

"You know it!"

Just then, a loud **gunshot** was heard from the other side of the command deck, prompting some of the specialists to withdraw their weapons. Everyone turned to see **Deadpool** in a black tuxedo, looking impatient, holding up a smoking gun.

"Relax, people!" He called out, "It's just a **blank**! Are we ready to go? This isn't America's Next Top Model now!"

The team started heading towards the ramp exit but Phantom took a quick minute to say something to Fox.

"You look… **really beautiful** , **Fox** ," he mustered his courage to tell her.

She slightly blushed, playfully rolling her eyes.

"You don't look too bad yourself, **tonto**."

He couldn't take his eyes off her beaming hazel eyes, seeing that she had done her make up on. They seemed to sparkle.

" **Hey** , **lovebirds**!" Deadpool heckled, "There'll be plenty of time to shag later! Now let's **go**!"

"Ugh, I'm going to kill him," Phantom sternly murmured.

Fox giggled in response.

The team reached the front ramp and loaded up on the limousine that drove them out of the empty lot and towards the nightclub.

* * *

 _A little while later…_

They reached the nightclub and filed out. Security at the nightclub practically rolled out the red carpet for them to exclusively enter the club ahead of the long line of well-dressed clubgoers who gawked at them as though they were celebrities.

Inside the _**Black Cat's**_ nightclub, they entered a huge atrium of several open levels. The ceiling was filled with a mixture of neon strips and black club lighting. On the bottom floor of the atrium was the main dance floor, where hundreds of well-dressed people were dancing to **M.I.A's "Bad Girls"**.

Exotic dancers were dancing on poles on the edges of the DJ's booth and the smell of smoke and alcohol filled the air and made Sam cough up a little bit.

Security escorted them to the highest level of the multi-story nightclub, where the music was shut out. They opened the doors to a sleek black circular table, where four well-dressed individuals sat.

Peter examined each of them closely upon entering.

There was a black-haired bearded man to the right of a beautiful, young blond-haired woman. To her left sat a **young** brown-haired girl, and another good-looking, brunette-haired, stern-faced woman to her left.

"Welcome, **Natasha** , **Specter Haven** , friends," the blond woman kindly greeted them, standing up.

The others around the table stood up with her in greeting.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with us under these… interesting times, **Felicia** ," Black Widow returned the greeting.

"Anything for allies to our cause. Please, sit."

Deadpool had his eyes **glued** to Felicia, seeing that she was wearing a little black dress that complimented her slightly tanned skin and well-toned body.

The team sat down around the table and security closed the door to the room on their way out.

"Introductions," Felicia started, "I am **Felicia Hardy** , **Black Cat** , to those who don't know me. I'm the leader of the **Underground** collective here in **Rio**. The collective is in charge of managing business operations pertaining specifically to mutants and mutates across this region."

"I am **Lord Dracula** ," the handsome dark-haired man next to her greeted, "I run the flow of **blood** in this city. Vampire blood for human blood."

"Talk about a cliché…" Deadpool murmured.

"Hiiiii, I'm **Doreen** , but you guys can call me **Squirrel Girl**!" the teenage brown-haired girl happily greeted them, "I help out the young mutant or mutate kids without moms or dads get settled and help them find a home here! They do jobs here and there for the Underground to help them get supported!"

"Admirable," Phantom commented.

"And I'm **Psylocke** ," the stern woman to Doreen's left greeted, "I speak on behalf of all the mutants in the region who are on the run from **S.H.I.E.L.D.** "

"She's hot," Deadpool whispered to Frank, who almost shoved his face away.

Black Widow briefly introduced the members of the team and quickly forwarded the conversation to what they were there for. With the onslaught of **Reaper's Forces** coming to Brazil soon, they hoped to gather whatever allies they could from the **Underground** to aid in a push to stop the **Reaper** entity on **Manhattan Island**.

Peter quickly spoke up and added that they're looking for a woman named **Ava Ayala** , **White Tiger** , who was supposed to be in hiding somewhere in Brazil **.** The leaders of the Underground all glanced at Doreen upon hearing this.

"Was she about yay-tall, really tanned skin, really pretty, and long dark brown hair?" Doreen curiously asked.

"Y-yes! That's her!" Peter anxiously answered.

"Well, I've got **good news** and **bad news** ," Doreen tried to calmly answer, "Good news is that she's here, alright. I helped settle her here a little over a year ago and found her a job and a place to stay at. Bad news is that… ever since **Kraven** showed back up, she's been on the run. We lost track of her weeks ago. I'm so sorry!"

Peter's heart did a jump and a fall after hearing that. He turned to Phantom.

"We need to **find** her, Phantom! She might have gotten caught! Damn it… that bastard, Kraven!"

"Settle down, Peter," Phantom calmly pleaded, "If she is here then we will address it directly after this meeting, I promise."

"Listen to him, son," Dracula added, " **Kraven** is a masterful hunter. My men have tried to stop him before but he's cunning, he knows how to ambush. You need to be ready to face off with him."

Danny placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to try and calm him down as the meeting continued.

Phantom then brought up that they're also searching for a woman known as **Phantasm** who is believed to be in the region. Dracula seemed to perk up upon hearing this, saying that she and another entity known as **Grey Ghost** approached him a day ago to secure transport out to coordinates out in the Amazon Rainforest. He briefly mentioned what she had told him about **Reaper** and his coming invasion as well.

"Is… did she look fine? Safe?" Phantom worriedly asked.

Dracula nodded.

"Her and her partner seemed fine to me. They were more worried about getting **here** ," Dracula reached into his leather coat and pulled out a set of coordinates, handing them to Phantom.

Phantom's eyes widened as he realized where it was.

"What is it, **tonto**?"

"It's… it's **The Archive**."

"Are you certain?" Black Widow questioned.

Phantom nodded.

"But, what's left there?" Luke wondered.

"She didn't say," Dracula answered, "She only said that she needed to be there soon. That there was something there that would help against **Reaper**."

"Ain't that where they stuffed you for 16 years, Cruz?" Frank quietly asked.

"Yes, that's the place."

They spoke a little longer, adding what **Dracula** knew about the coming invasion into the mix. Natasha informed them about what **Iron Man** and some of the **Avengers** are conducting out in the jungle alongside the **X-Men** , which peaked **Psylocke's** attention. Liberation of these camps gained great favor with both her and **Doreen.**

 **Black Cat** knew that there were things in motion beyond her understanding. She pledged the full support of the **Underground** in whatever they needed, adding that **Steve Rogers** should pull back from trying to contact the local government, as they largely won't help in evacuating the populace. They barely had control of the factions that truly controlled **Rio**.

They discussed the details further until **Star-Lord** got on the radio, interrupting them.

"Uhm, **hey guys**?"

"We're in the middle of something," Phantom answered.

"I **know that**. Just wanted to let you know that the **S.H.I.E.L.D.** **heli-carry, ferry, carrier** , whatever it's called… it just **disappeared** , out of sight."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. It's not there anymore and… Oh… **shit** (static)…"

"Quill? Quill?!"

The radio went silent into static.

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

 **Reaper** watched as a red hologram of **Earth** appeared before him. On the South American continent, he watched as another wave of **Sentinels** descended from **Asteroid M** on the city of **Rio de Janeiro**.

* * *

 **Note**

Hey dudeess, another chap up! I'm superrrr sorry this one is **really long**. I kind of shot myself in the foot by cutting out content in the last chap and didn't realize that this one was of those SUPER LONG chaps that afe used to write! like this would've at least been 25,000 words lol. or something to that extent.

anyway, i wanted to address something in the last chapter. my mentor read the **Deadpool & Cable **chap and didn't like the way I wrote the chapter and said it "wasn't like deadpool" or seemed off, something to that extent. to the readers closely following the story, i'm **really** sorry if the chap didn't come out the way it should've been and i feel like a moron for writing deadpool in that bad of light =( i'm still learning **how** to write the character better and if you guys have **any** advice on doing that, it'll only help me grow as a writer! =) so **massive apologies** for that, my dudes, sorry!

thanks for all the good reviews and the reads! =) u guys are the best!

hit that follow/fave button if u like what ur reading! keep an eye on the chap planning list on afe's profile to stay up to date on the next update!

mucho love!

-jack montero


	27. The Fall of Rio de Janeiro

_**The Fall of Rio de Janeiro**_

* * *

 _At a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. camp, several kilometers west of_ _ **Rio**_ _…_

The combined strengths of **The Avengers** and **The X-Men** were no match for the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel stationed at one of the main mutant/mutate concentration camps hidden within the jungle. With shock and awe style tactics, they were able to successfully infiltrate the camps and place S.H.I.E.L.D. on the defensive.

 **Iron Man** and **Falcon** flew side-by-side to drop a mass load of pinpointed missiles and bullets towards selected targets like S.H.I.E.L.D. armored vehicles and their machine gun nests that overlooked the facility.

The others, **Vision** , **Hawkeye** , and **Ant-Man** , led by **Wolverine** and **Gambit** , cut their way through the battalion of S.H.I.E.L.D. armored personnel to get to the cell blocks within the camp. The sounds of cheers from inside the buildings was a good sign that there were prisoners waiting for their rescue.

 **Professor X** followed closely with a hovering chair that **R.O.G.U.E.** provided to him to help him be as fully mobile as he can be in the battlefield, using his psychic abilities to turn agents against each other as they made their way through.

"We're going to need an entrance into those cell blocks!" Hawkeye pointed out as they reached the locked rear side door to one of the facilities.

"Cover me! I've got this!" Ant-Man assured them, shrinking down to his miniature size and jumping into the keyhole.

The team took cover behind a concrete barricade to give **Ant-Man** enough time to work through the lock and open the door.

"We've got **S.H.I.E.L.D.** aircraft flying in, Stark!" Falcon warned, looking at a radar display through his goggles.

"Taking care of it!"

 **Iron Man** flew vertically to spot a small formation of Quinjets heading towards them. It began to open fire on him.

" **Friday** , hack and disable those engines,"

"On it, Tony," his **A.I.** assistant cordially answered.

Within moments, they lost altitude and crashed into the jungle.

"That was **easy**."

Ant-Man finally got the lock open and they quickly ran inside to secure. They entered a prison-style block with several rows of individual cells with what Wolverine identified as **adamantium-reinforced** bars. Each one was overfilled with **mutants** and **mutates** alike. A lot of women and children and a lot of men.

It wreaked of something putrid. It was **hot** and **humid** inside the cells and it was apparent that these poor mutants were living in **horrible conditions**.

"Help us!"

"Please! Free us! They've been torturing us!"

"Let us go!"

"Dear God," **Professor X** was in shock to see them, "Those… those **monsters**."

"Concentrate, **Charles**!" Logan snapped at him, " **Gambit** , see if you can find a way to free these people!"

"On it!"

Gambit ran up a side flight of stairs to a control room at the top and began looking for a way to open them. Professor X hovered closer to the cells and held the hands of the crying women and children mutants.

"Don't worry, we are here to save you all!" Charles passionately assured them, "They **will not** hurt you any further!"

"Charles!" a familiar voice called out.

"Storm?!"

He hovered closer to the source of the voice, several cells down and spotted one of his **X-Men**. She reached out and he grabbed her hand. She looked like she had been crying, her eyes red and her face bruised up.

" **Thank** the **heavens** you're here, Charles!" she began tearing up, "we were… we were beginning to lose hope!"

"I won't let them hurt you all again! I won't!"

"They're… they're not **themselves** , Charles. These S.H.I.E.L.D. agents… their minds **are not** their own! Someone is **forcing** them to do this!"

"W-what are you talking about?!"

Suddenly, the cells began to slide open which meant Gambit had activated the controls. The crowds rushed towards their rescuers and began crying tears of joy for their salvation. Amongst them, **Cyclops** and **Jean Grey** approached the professor and hugged him.

They had wrapped a reinforced steel helmet to cover up Cyclops' entire head to prevent him from shooting off his optical beams and they placed a similar helmet on Jean Grey to prevent her from using her telekinetic powers.

"They **killed Hank** , Charles," Storm lamented, "He **resisted,** and they **killed him** , in **cold blood**!"

Logan sighed, hearing this.

"I'm… I'm sorry about your loss," Ant-Man sadly expressed to them.

"I'm going to carve **Sitwell's** face up," Logan simply grunted, "That'll be that."

" **Stark** , call up the **X-Jet** remotely and send it here. We're going to need a **heli-carrier** to evacuate these people," Hawkeye ordered.

"On it. You guys are going to want to **hurry up** , though."

"What are you talking about?" Hawkeye inquired, stepping outside to look up at the flying Avengers.

"We **just got word**. The **invasion's** come to **Rio** ,"

" **Shit**."

* * *

 _In the streets of Rio…_

Dark clouds began forming up in the night sky over **Rio** , drawing the attention of the population. News broadcasts were reporting it and a live feed was focusing on it from the **Christ the Redeemer** statue on the mountain. **Alpha Base** sent intel to _**The Eidolon**_ to confirm that **Asteroid M** had indeed deployed another large wave of **Sentinels** and that they were preparing to enter the atmosphere.

The meeting was cut short and **Black Cat** ordered the nightclub closed. _**The Eidolon**_ deployed the gear cache and the teams **suited up** and headed outside into the chaotic streets.

The locals **knew** what was going on around the world and now it had arrived to their once-safe city. They were rushing into their cars, stuffing their vans with their belongings, and trying to get out of the city as fast as they could.

" **Shit** , will you look at that?" Frank pointed at the storming dark clouds.

As **Spidey** and his teammates joined **Specter Haven** outside, his heart sank to see the invasion arriving to the city. His thoughts stayed with **Ava** and prayed that she was getting to safety and not caught in the destruction.

"What's the plan, homies?" Firewalker nervously questioned.

Phantom radioed to **Captain America** 's team, who, as expected, wasn't able to convince the local government to evacuate in time. Cap had ordered the **R.O.G.U.E.** heli-carriers to move in and send in the life-ships to the edges of the beach. They weren't going to make it in time before the Sentinels showed up, but he told them that he and his team would head over there to ensure they bought time for the people to escape.

"We **must** help with the evacuation," Phantom confidently ordered, "They haven't arrived yet, so there **must** be some time to coordinate."

"We don't have the manpower to do that, though!" Luke pointed out.

"Plus, we can't save **everyone** here!" Nova added, being realistic, "We're going to need an **army** to get these people out of here!"

"I love seeing everyone panic," Deadpool humored, taking out a **Snickers** bar and beginning to munch on it.

" **We'll** handle that," a voice assured them, coming out of the nightclub.

They turned to see the leaders of the **Underground** joining them in the fight, having changed their clothing.

 **Black Cat** wore a black leather skin-tight suit with white gloves, white boots, and fur that lined up her collar, shins, and wrists.

 **Dracula** had morphed into his true vampire form, brandishing his black bat-like wings and his irises glowing a bright red shine.

 **Psylocke** changed into a purple and red skin-tight body suit that left her arms and legs exposed. A red sash wrapped around her hips and she held a blade made of bright purple psychic energy.

 **Squirrel Girl** had changed into a brown fur-like armor with a black jacket and black boots, allowing her long squirrel tail to flow behind her.

"Damn, the ladies looking lovely as ever!" Deadpool commented, gawking at them.

"I don't see how Cable puts up with you," Daredevil coldly mentioned to him.

"He doesn't! If he gets pissed off he'll just keep shooting me until his tantrum goes away!"

" **Anyway** ," Black Cat quickly changed the subject, "We've alerted our factions. We're taking care of it."

"How so?" Black Widow curiously asked.

"My vampires will be transporting civilian humans and mutants out to a safe zone far from the city," **Dracula** assured them, "We'll help fight off these monsters."

"The mutants who can fight will join in on the defense," **Psylocke** added.

"Don't worry, guys! We're not leaving **anyone** behind!" Squirrel Girl optimistically predicted, "This is **Brazil** , after all!"

"Well, I'll shut up now," Nova corrected himself, "We've got the **army** that we need now."

"What's the plan, then, guys?" Colleen repeated the earlier question, "What do you guys need **us** to do?"

"We should **split up** , cover the most ground and help out the **Underground** get these people out of here," Frank suggested, loading up his rifle.

"Agreed," Black Cat concurred, "We'll have checkpoints where…"

Suddenly, the skies emitted a loud metallic screech. They all looked up to see the **Reaper Sentinels** appear from the clouds with several Juggernaut and Cerberus-Class Sentinels beginning to enter the airspace, preparing to land.

The crowds of people began to panic, screaming and rushing to get to safety. They dropped their belongings and started running.

A loud **explosion** was heard over the mountains. A **Cerberus-Class Sentinel** had landed on the **Christ the Redeemer** statue and had completely shattered it.

Then, another one landed a **block away** from the nightclub, quickly targeting them and unleashing several columns of energy at them from its hand-cannons.

"Everyone! Move!" Spidey shouted, forcing them to scatter.

They jumped out of the path of destruction and took cover inside alleyways and buildings as the Sentinel completely destroyed the nightclub and created a **deep chasm** that separated the teams.

The Cerberus Sentinel then moved into the spot where the nightclub was and strategically stationed itself there to begin wreaking havoc in the wealthy neighborhoods beyond the wreckage.

The teammates began to recover, finding themselves on different sides of the chasm, unable to regroup due to the larger sentinel and even more moving in.

"We've got to keep moving," Fox radioed the rest of the team, "Who are you guys with?"

"Ouch, that hurt," Nova complained, "Um… I'm behind a market or something. I don't think it's a good idea for me to fly up into the sky. I'd like to **not** become a **Nova** kabob today. Wait… who's this next to me?"

They heard Deadpool scream Nova's name in happiness through the radio.

"Son of a bitch. I've got **Deadpool** with me."

"I've got **Colleen** , **Daredevil** , **Iron Fist** , **Frank** , and **Jessica** with me, guys," Luke notified them, "We're **okay** for the most part. We're in an alleyway."

"We're good here," Black Widow spoke up, coughing, "I'm with the **Underground** leaders, on the street over from the nightclub. Or what's left of it."

"Alright," Fox acknowledged, "I've got **Wolfe** and **Firewalker** with me but… Wait… where's **Phantom** and **Spidey**?"

"Web-head are you there?!" Nova worriedly asked.

"Phantom? Spidey?"

" **Tonto** , are you there?!"

No answer.

* * *

 _Somewhere in the rubble within the chasm…_

Spidey slowly opened his eyes, waking up coughing. He quickly gathered himself, realizing he was lying face-up with a pile of concrete on top of him. With a push, he lifted it off of him and stood up. A few feet from him, Phantom was getting up too, having been knocked out from the sentinel's blast.

"You okay, kid?" Phantom sternly asked, looking up at the surface.

"I'm good, I think."

"Good. Jeez, I think we fell **inside** the chasm."

"That's…not good."

Phantom checked the communicator link, but both of their devices were damaged in the blast.

"Fox? Wolfe? Black Widow? Anyone on this frequency?" Phantom called out but was met with silence.

"Looks like we're on our own for now, man."

Phantom sighed.

"It would appear so, Peter."

"So, what now?"

"Well, **first** , let's try to get **out** of this chasm."

The specter observed the steep incline of rubble and the stratigraphy of the chasm, exposing the layers of sewage and service tunnels that laid underneath the surface.

"Maybe I can see about webbing us up there?"

"We'll have to be quick and stealthy. I haven't seen the smaller sentinels about, so it seems like it's the bigger ones taking control of this invasion."

" **Yeeeaaah** , I'd rather **not** be a dead **spider** down here."

"Agreed. Let's see about getting up there."

* * *

 _On the other side of the city…_

Rooftop-to-rooftop, **White Tiger** was evading **Kraven** 's fast advance on her, jumping and sprinting closer to the heart of the city. He was closing the gap between them, giving chase to her and trying to maim her with his throwing knives.

"You can't outrun me, **Ayala**! I've trained my entire life for this pursuit!" Kraven taunted several feet behind her.

Ava jumped across the shanty-buildings of the favelas, her stamina being boosted by the **Tiger**. She was avoiding its use unless she **absolutely** needed it, and she had already exhausted herself getting this far.

Then, out of nowhere, a giant **sentinel** lands directly in her path, forcing her to stop dead in her tracks.

"What the **hell** is that?!" she exclaimed, seeing the sentinel attempt to aim down at her and shoot a massive beam of energy.

She jumped off the rooftop and down to the street. But, that didn't stop **Kraven's** advance, resuming the pursuit down on the street with her.

As she ran, she saw that there were **more** of these machines descending from the skies.

An invasion.

And **Kraven** and his men were pushing her **straight towards** the epicenter of it all.

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

In the **control room** , a round table with red-tinted holographic projections of the entire city of **Rio de Janeiro** stood in the middle, with **Moros** and **Tombstone** coordinating the remote controlled **Reaper Sentinel Forces** to destroy as much of the city as possible.

From the darkness of the room, **Reaper** appeared out of thin air, observing the operation taking place. Both his Vanguard mutates bowed in respect upon seeing him.

"Has **Rio** fallen?" Reaper darkly inquired.

"Soon, my lord," Moros respectfully answered, "We've dispatched our largest wave to take the city and reduce it to ashes."

The dark specter simply nodded, staring at the hologram.

"Dispatch **Dragonfly** to **Rio** ,"

"My lord?"

Reaper utilized the table's controls to focus on two of the fighters on the ground: **Black Widow** and **Black Cat**.

"The **Underground** seems to have joined the fight, complicating the plan. I want **Dragonfly** to even the score. I want those two **dead**."

"At once, my lord."

* * *

 _On the streets of_ _ **Rio**_ _…_

The teams split up accordingly. The **Underground** concentrated on evacuating people to the **west** , far from the city, while the team with **Luke** and **Danny** , whom **Deadpool** coined as **The Defenders** , moved towards the beach line to help assist **Captain America** and the rest of the **Avengers** evacuate citizens onto the life-ships.

 _ **The Eidolon**_ and the **Super Electrode** on-board were making pulse runs through the shoreline to disable the sentinels attacking the civilians there. It was only **partially** working, disabling the sentinels for **a few minutes** at a time as it recharged for another pulse. Regardless, those vital minutes helped.

 **Nova** and **Deadpool** helped **Specter Haven** stay and help look for **Phantom** and **Spidey** , who were still missing while avoiding detection from the Cerberus Reaper Sentinel parked in the ruins of the nightclub.

"See anything?" Fox quietly asked Nova through the communicator.

He silently floated along the edges of the buildings, staying low enough to avoid the sentinel's targeting sensors, searching through the abandoned streets. The sounds of destruction, gunfire, and shouting was heard throughout the city as the invasion progressed.

"Nothing. This would be **easier** if I had a full view."

"Need me to provide a **distraction**?!" Deadpool happily asked.

"Noooooo, nope. Your distractions end up **killing** people, Deadpool!"

"Aw, come on, **Samuel**! That's no way to think! I'll be right back!"

Deadpool separated from the group, sprinting down an alleyway towards where the sentinel was parked.

"Deadpool!" Fox cried out, "Get back here!"

The **Merc with a Mouth** withdrew his pistols and began merrily skipping out into the view of the sentinel. The machine quickly took notice and targeted the red-suited mutate.

"Hey **you**! Yeah, you! You giant machine! You **stupid** big waste of steel and shit!" Deadpool taunted it.

"He's going to get himself **killed** ," Wolfe grunted, aiming down to the scene with his rifle.

"You see this pistol?!" Deadpool raised one of them, "I'm going to **shoot** a bullet so far up your mechanical ass, you'll be puking bolts out!"

The sentinel aimed down towards the merc with its right-hand cannon and blasted one giant beam of energy, scorching the entire area where Deadpool stood.

"Is he dead?" Firewalker whispered, "Homie just took that shit straight up!"

As the debris settle, a pile of dust sat.

The sentinel withdrew its cannon.

"Hey! You thought that was me?!" Deadpool hollered from on top of a building **behind** the sentinel, "You **missed**! How could you miss me?! I was **right in front of you**!"

The sentinel turned around and made a more aggressive attack, shooting off multiple missiles from its back and decimating the building Deadpool stood on.

Only, that missed **too**.

Deadpool merrily hopped to another building and popped off shots at the sentinel to **piss** it off.

"You guys better find **Phantom** and **Spidey** quick before I **really** get turned into Deadpool-magical cocaine dust!" Deadpool shouted over the radio.

Wolfe laughed.

"Can we stick around to see that happen?"

Fox rolled her eyes.

"Come on, guys. We've got to find them!"

* * *

 _At the site of what remained of_ _ **Christ the Redeemer**_ _on Corcovado Mountain…_

A portal opened up from on-board _**Vengeance**_ and **Moros** and **Tombstone** appeared, along with **Dragonfly** , a female **Vanguard** mutate with sleeker skeletal armor than her counterparts, with the helmet in the shape of a dragon's head, complementing her large wings.

"You have your orders, **Dragonfly** ," Moros simply briefed her, observing the destruction of the city below, "Don't disappoint our master."

"It will be done," she assured him.

With nothing more to add, **Moros** and **Tombstone** both returned to Reaper's ship, closing the portal behind them.

Dragonfly spread her wings freely and jumped off the ledge of what remained of the monument, taking flight and heading down towards the city.

* * *

 _Several blocks up the street from where the nightclub used to be…_

 **Phantom** and **Spidey** finally made their way **out** of the chasm, finding a safe zone a few blocks north of the nightclub into an abandoned street. Phantom could still see the shape of the Cerberus Sentinel, but saw that it appeared to be getting annoyed by something… or **someone**.

He could hear the familiar sounds of **Deadpool** singing nonsense at the sentinel while he dodged its attacks.

"Figures that **idiot** would mess with it," Phantom sighed, taking a seat at the curb.

"That's probably where the rest of the team is," Spidey suggested, "I could web swing on over there? Check it out?"

"Too risky, but you've got a point. Let's head on over there and see if we can regroup."

As he got up and they both started making their way **back** towards the sentinel, they both heard the sounds of **gunshots** and **yelling**. From across the hilly street, they could see out onto several rooftops of the favela down the road.

They saw what appeared to be several **armed men** chasing after a **woman**. She was dressed in partially white clothing and was running barefoot with a white mask on. She seemed tribal.

"Wait…" Spidey took a closer look, "Phantom… that's…"

Phantom knew what he was about to say.

"…Oh my God, that's **Ava**! Phantom, come on! We've got to help her!"

He tried to shoot a string of web to go after her, but Phantom pulled him back.

"Settle down, Peter! You're going to end up getting all of us killed if you go rushing in like that! Come on! There's a side road that we can cut them off at!"

Spidey anxiously nodded, stringing up lines of web to swing off as he followed the sprinting specter onto the rooftops through the side road.

* * *

 _Along the principal road into_ _ **Rio**_ _…_

 **Dracula** was holding up his part and was directing his **Vampiric League** to help carry people out of the city in their arms and through flight. The safe zone was just beyond the horizon, a way's away, but they were coordinating as best they can. Additionally, they were sending their supplies of vampiric blood out of the city via separated bike convoys to their safehouses in the Amazon.

 **Black Widow** and **Black Cat** were helping with getting women and children from **Squirrel Girl's** faction onto trucks to get them out of the city. Other mutates, part of **Psylocke's** faction were helping keep the small foot-solder Argos-Class Reaper Sentinels from approaching the evac points.

"I'm surprised they haven't released the **gas** yet!" Black Widow commented, picking up another child and giving it to a receiving mutant on a troop carrier truck.

"What are you talking about?!" Black Cat inquired, " **What** gas?!"

"If we get these people out of here in time, you **won't** have to know!"

"Something about gas now?!" Squirrel Girl questioned.

"Let's just say a **whole lot of bad** erupts as soon as that gas is released into the air."

Several minutes later, **Dracula** took a pause and waited for his groups of **vampires** to return from delivering people over to the safe zone.

"They are almost cleared from this side," he informed the rest, "We have others clearing them through in the other favelas."

"Where's the military protecting the city?" Squirrel Girl wondered, looking up at the sky.

"The **RSF** disable the military responses in each city with an EMP before every invasion. You should've seen how they crippled **Moscow** in less than an hour," Black Widow answered, "This is a larger invasion force than I've seen in the other cities."

"Well, let's make sure **everyone** gets out safely, then," Black Cat emphasized.

While they waited for Dracula's vampires to return, a sharp spear impaled a fellow mutant through the chest from the sky above them.

They looked up to see one of **Reaper's Vanguards** swoop down and pick up the spear, dropping the mutant **dead** , and prompting everyone to withdraw their weapons at her.

"Well, well, well. It's **about time Reaper** sent one of his minions to come down here," Black Widow remarked, charging up her gauntlets.

 **Dragonfly** grimaced underneath her helmet, her face partially visible from beyond the teeth of the dragon-shaped helm.

" **Bold words** , **Black Widow** ," she taunted, raising up her spear and pacing about the group.

The female Vanguard mutate towered over the rest at about 7 feet tall, glaring at them with bright glowing green irises.

"You have **no business** here!" **Dracula** warned her, baring his sharpened canine teeth, " **Leave**!"

"Look **around** you, this whole **invasion** is **my business** ," Dragonfly retorted, observing the citizens running for their lives **away** from the vicinity.

"Then what do you want?!" Squirrel Girl angrily asked, "I **will beat you down**."

Dragonfly scoffed, returning her gaze to **Black Cat** and **Black Widow**.

"I want... what my **master wants**!" She shouted, throwing the spear at **Black Widow** , who swiftly dodged it.

With no more time for talk, the **Underground** began fighting **Dragonfly** head-on in an attempt to stop her, but just as they got close enough, she would rapidly escape to the skies and throw them off. **Dracula** kept this tactic in check by flying up and pursuing her and forcing her back down to the ground.

The fight continued, destroying several cars and trucks in the process.

* * *

 _On the rooftops of the favelas…_

 **Spidey** and **Phantom** were right on the heels of **Kraven** and his men while they continuously pursued **Tiger** through the rooftops. They were dodging the blasts of nearby sentinels with each jump and dead-sprint through someone's property. It was apparent that they were closing in on Ava, which meant that she was steadily slowing down.

"We need to **stop** them, Phantom!" Spidey shouted during the pursuit.

"Leave that to me, kid! Just catch up to them! I'll take care of the rest."

He didn't have to tell the webslinger twice. Spidey picked up the pace attempting to shoot strands of webbing at Kraven's legs but both him and Ava were sprinting too fast for him to make an accurate shot for now.

Phantom caught up with the rest of the men, who were slowing down. They noticed they were being chased once his **ambient whispering** **effect** spread out through the area.

"What the?!"

"How you guys doing?" Phantom jokingly asked, blasting away two of them with the electrical charges on his bracers.

The others behind Kraven quickly stopped to take care of Phantom,

...which was **a huge mistake**.

The specter withdrew his sword and disappeared into thin air, confusing the hunters. In a random flurry of slashes, Phantom took them down without a hitch.

Up ahead,

"I didn't realize the **spider** was in town!" Kraven chuckled, glancing back during the pursuit.

"P-Peter?!" Ava gasped, glancing back.

"I'm coming, **Ava**! I'm coming!" he yelled, shooting out more strands of webbing to try and stop Kraven.

But instead, the hunter stopped in his tracks, grabbed the string and swung Peter hard onto the street below them with his own webbing.

"Stay down, **Spider**!" he warned him, continuing his chase after Ava.

Phantom caught up and jumped down, helping Peter get back on his feet.

"Sounds like she was excited to see you come to her rescue," Phantom remarked, "Well? What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Spidey took back up on his web strings and went after them again with Phantom joining with.

* * *

 **Note**

Hey my dudes! Another chap up! I know this one's pretty long too but at least it's shorter than yesterdays! I think! =/ thank u guys for all the good reviews from yesterday, u guys are really the best and it means a lot that u guys support this story as much as u do! again, im humbled!

I'm trying to keep the story going, at least up until the halfway chapter (chap 30) and then take a small break before hitting it again to finish. at this rate, we're lookin to get it finished by the end of the summer, which is exciting for me because i **really** want to write more as part of the phantomverse in the future under my own pen name.

take a look at afe's profile when u guys get the chance. i posted up a poll there and would like ur guys' opinion on it. it'l stay up for a while.

thank u guys again for all the support u guys give. giving back to one of my best supporters, i wanna give a shout out to my boy **Nobel Six** for starting up his next book _**Squirrel Girl: The Outbreak**_ , give it a check if you've read the first one! congrats bro!

hit that follow/fave button if u like what ur reading to stay updated and plz keep an eye on afe's profile for updated info on the chap planning list for the story! =)

have a great night/day guys!

\- jack montero


	28. Escape into the Amazon

_**Escape into the Amazon**_

* * *

 _Inside the inner workings of a_ _ **Sentinel**_ _…_

The constant buckling and shifting of gears and electrical pulses surged throughout the inside mechanics and machinery of the **Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinel** parked overtop what was left of **Black Cat's** nightclub.

Unbeknownst to those outside, the sentinel was in a state of **panic** as an intruder had ripped a hole and entered its chest.

Echoing throughout the inside, **"Lovesick Blues"** by **George Strait** was being played from **Deadpool's** mini radio strapped to his utility belt.

The Merc with a Mouth was humming the catchy tune while he scaled through the darkened chambers of the building-sized machine, ripping through the cabling with his katanas and shooting active electrical components with his pistols.

"HmmmMMmmmmMMmm, you **might not know this** , but **Tom Hiddleston** plays **Hank Williams** in that one movie… what was it called? Oh yeah! _I Saw the Light_ , that one!... **I know** right?! With **that** accent?! He knows how to act, I'll give him that!"

He continued to whistle the tune, throwing a grenade into an gearbox, allowing it to explode seconds later.

"…I've grown so **used** to **you** somehow… well I'm no-o-obody's **sugar daddy** now! And I'm lo-o-onesome!" he sang, shooting in tune with the melody, "I got the **lovesick blues**!"

The sentinel did its best to try and reach into the entry point that Deadpool had slashed into its chest, but the vital systems that kept it functional were shutting down due to the Merc's mischief, to include its internal security system.

"…All I do is sit and siiiiiigh, oh Lord, that last long day she said goodbye! Well, Lord I thought I would cry!"

Another explosion from a grenade shattered the right leg of the sentinel, crippling it, sending it falling backwards.

"Well, looks like my fun is over!" he exclaimed, running up the firing chamber of one of the exposed missile shafts and jumped out right as the sentinel fell.

A **huge** explosion followed through, completely engulfing the plaza around the nightclub in flames and debris from the downed mech.

The others had regrouped up near the entrance into the city plaza and watched as **Deadpool** landed on his feet right in front of them.

"I got the **lovesick blues**!" he exclaimed, finishing the song.

 **Fox** rolled her eyes.

"You done?" she irritably asked.

" **Darlin'** ," Deadpool expressed in a southern accent and pulled out a cowboy hat from God knows where and placed it on his head, " **Sheriff Deadpool** ain't done bein' so **lovesick** for you."

"Ugh…"

She walked away, hoping to find a trail that led to **Phantom** and **Spidey**. The rest followed behind her, glancing over at **Deadpool** as they walked by.

" **I** thought it was **funny** ," Wolfe darkly remarked, placing the barrel of his rifle on his shoulder while grasping the mouth of the stock, " **Although** , it would've been funnier if you **died**."

"Hot damn! Everyone a **critic** around these parts!" the Merc answered, again, in a southern accent, following them out of the vicinity.

* * *

 _Out on the Rodovia Presidente Dutra federal highway…_

 **Dragonfly** continued going on the offensive against the leaders of the **Underground** and **Black Widow** out on the road that led out of **Rio** well into the night-time invasion. While most of the civilian populace in the immediate area was able to escape, a **Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinel** landed not too far away from the battle, providing the Vanguard mutate with additional firepower.

The sentinel launched several devastating missile attacks at the heroes while Dragonfly took flight to circle them, forcing them to take cover behind the nearby buildings.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Squirrel Girl pointed out, "She's **too** strong!"

"Agreed! Any ideas?!" Psylocke asked.

Black Widow peered over the edge of the building, witnessing Dragonfly perched on the right shoulder of the sentinel as it continued its barrage of missile fire. From the road to **Sao Paulo** , the Brazilian military finally showed up with several tanks and armored personnel carriers, beginning their assault on the sentinel and Dragonfly.

"It looks like we've got a distraction!" Dracula exclaimed, "We **still** need a plan!"

"We need to **keep** her grounded," Black Cat thought aloud, " **God** , I wish I could rip her wings right off."

Dracula grinned.

"Oh **no** , Vlad, I **know** what you're thinking!" Squirrel Girl humorously giggled.

"Try to provide those militants with some back up," Dracula ordered them, stretching out his wings, " **I'll** take care of her wings."

Without another word, Dracula shot right up into the darkened skies.

The others looked at each other once the vampire was out of sight.

"Don't worry," Psylocke assured Black Widow, "he does this **all** the time."

Dragonfly scanned over the residential areas where the Underground went to go hide in, gliding **away** from the fight between the military and the sentinel.

"Where **are** you?" the mutate asked herself, keeping her vision glued to the empty streets below.

Suddenly, she heard the faint sounds of wings not of her own…

She took a sharp turn to run **right** into **Dracula** , mid-air.

The vampire violently grabbed her by the shoulders and forced the mutate to look into his eyes. She mustered all her strength to try and force her away out of the legendary vampire's grip, but she seemed to grow weak the longer her gaze met with his.

"Look into my eyes, **my dear** ," he softly requested.

"No! Let **go** of me!" she angrily yelled back, "Let… **go**!"

Before she knew it, she was **entranced** by **Dracula** 's mesmerizing gaze, a hallmark trait of his vampiric powers.

"Now… let me **feed**!" Dracula gently pulled her head to the side and sank his fangs into her neck.

Dragonfly struggled to let go of his grip but he had already begun to feed. It wasn't **human blood** , but **mutate blood still** allowed his inner-vampiric powers to grow stronger with each drop.

Until finally…

He unlatched his fangs and violently dragged Dragonfly through the air and slamming her, head-first, into a dirt field outside the residential area.

She tried to get up, crawling away on her stomach, but Dracula immediately stomped his boot into her back, grabbing her wings and pulling with all his might to rip them off of her.

The mutate cried in pain as they were slowly torn off.

The vampire discarded them, jumping straight up and into the darkened skies once more.

"She's all **yours**!" He shouted to the rest of the **Underground** , who had caught up to where they landed.

Dracula glided over to where the military was fighting the sentinel and provided some help by distracting the giant machine.

Dragonfly slowly got to her feet, clenching the grip of her spear in her hands, taking her stance against the four superpowered women.

"Not so **tough** without your wings, huh?" Squirrel Girl added insult to injury.

"This **changes nothing**!" the mutate assured them, rushing after them with her spear.

Squirrel Girl attempted to trip her up with her tail as she rushed them, but Dragonfly was too quick, jumping over her tail and swinging her spear hard to knock Doreen several feet back off the dirt field.

Turning around, **Psylocke** unleashed a sustained flurry of attacks with her blade, but Dragonfly was dodging and deflecting the attacks at a steady rate. Her tall stature allowed her to have a much stronger physical advantage against the mutant.

As Psylocke lunged deep, Dragonfly deflected with her spear, side-stepped, and kicked Psylocke backwards to the ground, disarming her instantly.

With two of them down, **Black Cat** and **Black Widow** quickly teamed up and starting fighting Dragonfly simultaneously, attempting to throw the mutate off her balance.

Black Cat shot off her grappling hooks into Dragonfly's back and tried to pin her down to the ground while Black Widow used her gauntlets to punch the mutate's face with electrical shocks.

Just as it looked like they were gaining enough momentum to fully put Dragonfly to the ground, the mutate found a reserve source of strength and violently shook the hooks off of her, throwing Black Cat several feet in the process.

At the same time, she caught one of Black Widow's punches and began crushing her hand with hers.

Natasha screamed in pain, Dragonfly grinning as she did so.

"And they call **you** an **Avenger**?" she taunted her.

Black Cat and the others quickly recovered, getting on their feet to rush back in to help…

…but they were too late.

With her left hand, Dragonfly re-gripped her spear and plunged it right through **Black Widow's** abdomen.

"No… **NO**!" Black Cat shouted.

Natasha coughed up blood, looking down at where the spear had impaled her. She tried to grab the grip of the spear to pull it out of her, but it was no use.

"Accept **his** salvation, **Black Widow** ," Dragonfly continued to taunt her, " **Stop fighting**."

She raised the spear higher, lifting Natasha along with it as she became fully impaled.

"You're going to **pay** for that!" Squirrel Girl threatened.

As they began to approach them, Nat turned to them and raised her hand, ordering them to **stop. Dragonfly** grinned at this.

" **Yes** , tell your friends to **stop fighting** as well. Spare them a **quick death** …"

"It wasn't… for **them** ," Black Widow coughed, holding up her right hand, revealing an **energy grenade** , "It's for **you**."

Dragonfly's eyes widened.

"Accept this… **bitch** ," Natasha defiantly spoke, shoving the grenade through the teeth of Dragonfly's helmet.

" **N-NOO**!" Dragonfly cried.

It exploded.

The energetic release formed a giant green spherical aura of energy that completely disintegrated the both of them at once.

The three ladies stood in **shock** of what they had just witnessed.

 **Black Cat** fell to her knees and sat in a sitting kneel. She covered her face in the palms of her gloved hands. **Psylocke** and **Squirrel Girl** moved in to console her, calling **Dracula** from the skies.

They had to contact the **Avengers** as soon as they could to let them know what just happened. But, they also had to make sure the civilians were out of the city and within the safe zone.

* * *

 _At the S.H.I.E.L.D. concentration camp within the Amazon…_

 **R.O.G.U.E.** dispatched an auxiliary heli-carrier into view and deployed the life-ships to begin picking up the rescued mutant/mutate prisoners who were trapped within the camp the **Avengers** team, led by **Iron** **Man** ,had just liberated with the help of **Wolverine** , **Gambit** , and **Professor X**.

As they monitored the loading up of the life-ships, **Wolverine** emerged from the armory building at the camp angrily dragging what appeared to be a **S.H.I.E.L.D.** agent with his left hand.

"What's **he** doing?" Stark questioned upon seeing him come into view.

" **Logan**? What are you doing there?" Xavier shifted his chair closer.

Wolverine aggressively slammed the agent onto the ground between them. His helmet fell off his head and exposed a young looking man, with blond hair and blue eyes.

"P-P-Please, don't **h-hurt** me!" he pleaded, with a slightly high-pitched voice.

" **Shut it**!" Logan kicked the agent on his side.

"Hey, **sideburns** , what are **you** doing?!" Stark forcefully asked.

"I caught this son-of-a-bitch trying to escape the site. After what they **did** to **Hank** , I've just about ran **all out of mercy**!" Logan answered, withdrawing the claws out of his hands.

"Now, now, **Logan** , you've **got** to remain calm," Xavier calmly stated.

" **No** , Charles. **Look** at **what** they've done to us! Look at them!"

Xavier closed his eyes.

"I can **see** , Logan. But, **Storm** tells me that this is being perpetrated by a higher entity. We can only conclude that **Reaper** is the one responsible for this."

"What the **hell** does **she** know?! She's been kept prisoner! **No**. We've got to make an **example** out of these **S.H.I.E.L.D. fucks** …"

The agent tried to squirm away from Wolverine.

Gambit quickly rushed in and grabbed Logan by his shoulder.

"Hey, Logan, man. Let's try not to make this **messy** , now," he calmly pleaded, "Maybe we can keep this man as a prisonuh and interrogate him."

"Y-Yes! Please! I'm willing to do that!" the agent pitched in.

"And take up space on the heli-carrier?! **No** , **not** going to happen!"

"Logan, **please** , this **isn't** the way we do things. We promised our fellow mutants we would **not** let this happen to them again but that **doesn't mean** we lose our **dignity**!" Xavier pressed on, "If we do so, we're no better than the extremities **Erik** was once willing to reach to exterminate humanity!"

"Maybe he had a point…"

"Uhm, **excuse me**?" Stark interjected, hearing Wolverine's response, " **We're humans** too, pal. We're trying to help **you** guys out. I get this is pretty quasi-Holocaust, seeing all of this, but **don't** forget who the **real bad guy** is here! It's the prick with **that** rock in space!"

Stark pointed up at the night sky.

"And how many more have to die, Stark?! **You** used to work for **S.H.I.E.L.D.** too, didn't you?"

Wolverine threateningly approached Tony.

"Logan…" Xavier called, hovering closer.

"Yeah, but **I don't** anymore, **sideburns**. Now why don't you back up before I throw you so far deep into this jungle, it'll take you the rest of the **war** to get out…"

"Let's see it. You're **nothing** without that suit."

Hawkeye quickly rushed in and stood between them.

" **Enough**! The **two** of you! You guys are going to end up killing each other **for nothing**! We're **on the same side** here, for Christ's sake!"

"He speaks the truth, Logan," Xavier added, "Please, **calm down**."

He began using his psychic abilities to get into the mutant's mind, easing his aggressiveness, and forcing him to back down.

"I… You're right…"

"Man," Ant-Man commented, "You guys need to vent that anger out on the turds invading this planet. Not each other."

Hawkeye concurred.

They ordered the young S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to be taken prisoner up to the heli-carrier and back to R.O.G.U.E. for questioning.

Just as they were concluding the rescue, **Vision** stepped out from one of the buildings. He was holding a female's body wrapped in dirty white rags except for her head, arms, and feet.

The others ran over to see who he was carrying.

It was **Wanda**.

"Oh my **God** , is she okay?!" Hawkeye worriedly asked.

"She is stable," Vision calmly assured him, "she has been through a great deal of pain and torture. We need to get her medical attention, **at once**."

Vision carried her all the way into the life-ship and assured that she was okay.

With a few more camps deeper in the rainforest, **R.O.G.U.E.** took over the rescue mission and began a full campaign against their **S.H.I.E.L.D.** counterparts and began laying siege to the other camps, sending in teams to liberate them.

 **The Avengers** and the **X-Men** were en-route back to **Rio** , to assist the others during the invasion.

* * *

 _On the beaches of_ _ **Rio**_ _…_

On the edges of the **Atlantic Ocean** , the **Juggernaut-Class Reaper Sentinels** had concentrated their firepower against the **R.O.G.U.E.** heli-carriers that were trying to evacuate the population. The combined efforts of the **"Defenders"** and the **Avengers** were keeping the machines distracted long enough for the evacuation procedures to steadily continue.

The **Super Electrode** also greatly contributed, with _**The Eidolon**_ continuing its pulse runs across the stretch of beach to temporarily disable the sentinels and fly around and shoot them down while the electrode recharged.

 **Dr. Strange** kept the people on the ground awaiting to get on-board the life-ships safe by opening up several portals to route the direction of the smaller Argos-Class Reaper Sentinels **away** from them, while using mystical energy to maim the larger Cerberus-Class Sentinels.

Behind him, **Black Panther** helped the doctor by diving into the outlying groups of the sentinels and charging up kinetic energy with each hit he took and unleashed it in a huge blast that threw them in pieces.

In another stretch of the beach, the **Defenders** fought side-by-side with **Captain America** and **Bucky** to fight off an approaching **Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinel** and keep it from completely obliterating the life-ships.

"They're **never-ending**!" Daredevil commented, swinging his club left and right, to keep the mechs off him.

"Aw shit, don't sweat it, **Red** ," Punisher joked over the radio from his sniper's view several feet away on top of a lifeguard shack.

He shot off a round and obliterated the head of an Argos-Class sentinel before it attacked Daredevil.

"You're going to end up blowing my head off one of these days, Frank!"

"Not if you stay still, **Red** ,"

Another mob of them tried to take down **Jessica** but **Luke** quickly moved in and punched right through them, preventing one of them from slicing through Jessica with his arm.

"Jesus, you gonna let me fight or what, pal?!" Jessica argued.

"Just keeping you from dying, Jess," Luke sighed.

"You trying to earn brownie points or something?!"

Jessica slammed her fist against the head of another mech, causing it to cave in.

" **No**. Like I said, just trying to make sure you don't die. What am I to do with a **dead Jessica**?"

"I'd call you a **necrophiliac** for starters," Jessica joked.

"That's not funny!"

Near the edges of the beach several yards north of their position, **Colleen** and **Danny** were trying to take down the **Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinel**. Like Danny did with Luke back in **Tokyo** against a **Juggernaut** , Danny climbed on the legs of the unsuspecting sentinel while it stayed stationary as it attacked the heroes with Colleen gripping his back.

Once they got to the top, they planned to remove the inhibitor chip off the head of the sentinel and completely disable it.

" **How** are you climbing this so easily?!" Colleen questioned, amazed at Danny's strength.

"This is **nothing** , **Colleen**. I should tell you about the time I climbed the mountains of **K'un-L'un** with a bag full of ceramic bowls filled with **weights**. I got to the top without breaking a single bowl!"

"Wait, Danny, watch out!"

The sentinel noticed and tried to stomp its leg firmly on the ground to shake them off, but Danny kept his grip, managing to move out of sight onto the back of its leg.

"You're a **machine**!"

"I have been told that I am many of things, but never a **machine** ," Danny grunted, continuing to scale the mech.

"I'm still waiting to challenge you on the mat, you know," Colleen playfully brought up.

"Tell you what. If we survive this, I will take up your challenge, and we will celebrate no matter the outcome."

"I'd love that."

"And then…" he grunted, almost losing his grip on one of the ledges, "…I will bring you to come meditate with me in private."

"I'd **definitely** love that."

"Good! I love meditating too!"

 **Bucky** and **Captain America** found themselves at each other's back as they fought off an onslaught of the Argos sentinels attempting to take them down near the street-side of the beach. The former Winter Soldier utilized an FN FNC rifle to shoot off rounds at the incoming mechs, alternating with Cap as Steve protected him with his shield while he reloaded and kept up the assault.

"Just like the **Battle of the Bulge** , eh, Buck?"

"We were fighting **Nazis** back then, Steve! **NOT** killer machines!"

"You're right," Steve commented, throwing his shield to take down another pair of sentinels, "Life was **simpler** back then."

"Yeah our big bad guy was a guy with a funny mustache!"

"Don't forget **Red Skull** , Buck."

"Oh yeah," Bucky remembered, " **Fuck** that guy."

Suddenly, one of the Juggernauts advanced forward, charging up its energy and blasting it at one of the heli-carriers, damaging its shields at an alarming rate.

"They're not going to last!" Bucky pointed out.

"Come on, we've got to help!"

"Steve, do you **not** see the size of that thing?!"

Helpless, they couldn't do anything to stop the sentinel while it continued its barrage of energetic beams.

Suddenly, the clouds above grew darker than the night sky itself. They swirled around in a violent pattern of lightning and thunder, opening itself up like a giant cone.

From it, a familiar face came flying out.

 **Thor** thundered his way through the clouds and launching the might of **Mjolnir** into the Juggernaut's head, completely destroying the Reaper Sentinel's inhibitor chip and sending it falling backwards onto the buildings behind it.

"Who the **hell** is **that** guy?!" Jessica shouted, sounding impressed.

"The hell?" Frank nervously redirected his rifle towards Thor, "Hey! Are you guys seeing this?! Jesus, we've got people falling out of the sky over here to help!"

"That's **Thor** , the **God of Thunder** , **Frank**!" Daredevil answered him over the radio.

"God of Thunder…?"

" **About time he** shows up!" Steve commented, "He's been gone this entire time!"

Thor glanced over and saw his fellow heroes look over at him. He grinned, raising up the unmistakable hammer, **Mjolnir** , and absorbing lightning energy from the clouds and sending an electrical pulse that completely shut down the masses of sentinels around him.

* * *

 _On the rooftops of the favelas…_

 **Ava** was running out of breath, struggling to stay ahead of **Kraven** and his on-going pursuit on foot through **Rio** 's favelas. All this, while trying to avoid getting targeted by the invading sentinels, was forcing the **Jade Tiger Amulet** to draw more power to aliment her stamina. But, she was doing everything in her power to prevent it from taking **control** of her.

 **Spidey** and **Phantom** were closing in, being able to identify **Ava's** distinctive white mask in the sea of different colored buildings within the favela and through the destruction of the invasion.

They were nearing the edges of the city, closer towards the highways that lead out into the interior of **Brazil.**

"They're getting away!" Spidey pointed out, keeping his pace with Phantom's speed.

"Alright, keep on ahead!"

"Wait, **what**?"

"I'll catch up with you up there, kid! Just keep an eye out!" Phantom ordered him.

"If you say so!"

Phantom watched Spider-Man web-swing on ahead as best he could with the low-hanging buildings. He turned to open up his communicator.

" _ **Milano**_ , are you still orbiting the airspace?"

"New phone. Who's this?!" Rocket shouted back through the communicator.

"Who **do you think** , Raccoon?"

"Ah, the gothic kid with the dirty dishcloth around his face. What do you want? We're busy watching a city burn up here."

"I am Groot."

" **Nobody's asked us to help yet** , Groot! They said, **'stay put'**!"

"Nevermind that! Can you give me a pick up and drop off?" Phantom requested, looking up at the skies.

"What, are we a **pizza delivery service**? Is that all the good we are now?" Rocket irritably asked, "We fly **half-way across the galaxy** to your pathetic planet, lose our ship, almost get blown to bits by killer robots, and we're a delivery service! Hey, **Quill**! Get over here! Phantom wants us to deliver pizza to him!"

The specter sighed.

"Why does he want pizza?!" Quill's voice was heard in the background.

"I **don't know** , he didn't say!" Rocket answered back.

"Tell him we don't have any pizza!"

"Hey goth-ball, we don't have any pizza."

"God damn it, **Raccoon**!" Phantom angrily shouted, "I need you to come **pick me up** at my location and **drop me off** somewhere!"

"Ohhhhhh, **I see** now!" Rocket sarcastically observed, "So we're an **Uber** service now! Hey, Quill! We're amateur taxi drivers now!"

Phantom sighed once more.

" **Get off** the communicator, Rocket!" Gamora's voice budged in.

"Hey! Get off me, woman!"

"We're on our way, **Phantom** ," she assured him over the link.

"Thank you."

* * *

 _A short way up ahead…_

 **Ava** jumped down to the street level and charged her way through to a small park to hide within the trees. She gasped for breath, gripping the thick branch and keeping an eye out for **Kraven**.

She couldn't believe that she saw **Peter** web-slinging behind her after **Kraven**. She was almost convinced that her tiredness and lack of stamina was causing her to hallucinate. Regardless, she felt her heart skip beats thinking that it was really him coming to help her.

Suddenly, she heard the loud thud of boots and she glanced over to see **Kraven** stalk through the small park with his sharpened dagger. Her claw marks from earlier were still visible on his face.

"Come out, **Ayala**. I **know** you are **here** ," he evilly taunted.

She silently sat up on the branch and rested her back against the trunk of the tree, covering her mouth to silent her breath.

Kraven slowly walked closer to her tree, taking sniffs.

"I can **smell you** , **Ayala**. There is **no use** hiding. I **know** you are **tired**."

Her heart raced with nerves, fearing to get caught. She didn't have the strength to fight him back. But, she knew the **Tiger** did, and she feared losing herself to it, for she knew she might not return from it if she did again.

And on cue, the amulet began glowing. Acting as a beacon to warn Ava that the Tiger was ready to assist. It glowed a bright green, visible through the dark of the trees.

Nervously, she quickly covered it up with her hands to prevent **Kraven** from seeing it, taking her eyes off him for just a moment.

But when she looked back, he was **gone**.

Then, she felt the wisps of slight breathing next to her face.

Slowly, she turned to see **Kraven's** grinning face.

"I've **got you**!" He shouted, pushing her off the branch and down to the ground, where a **net trap** was waiting for her.

She squirmed to get out of it, but it was no use. It was made of the same reinforced cabling as the snare trap from earlier.

" **Please**! Don't do this, Kraven!" she began pleading.

"Ah, **begging** , **Ayala**? You disappoint me. I thought you'd be stronger than your father. He resorted to **begging** as well."

He took out a stun rod and slammed her with it, sending electrical shocks that temporarily paralyzed her.

" **No more running** ," he darkly told her.

Then, out of nowhere…

" **LET HER GO, KRAVEN!** "

Confused, the hunter looked up to see **Spider-Man** standing several feet away from him, with his **web shooters** aimed at him.

"I won't ask again! **Let. Her. Go!** "

Kraven chuckled.

"Ah, the **spider** joins the hunt here in **Brazil** while it burns!" he taunted, "… **Sitwell** told me about your little **infatuation** with **Ayala** here."

Peter glanced over and saw Ava, slightly moving, staring at him and gasping for air. He saw tears glisten underneath her eyes.

"So it's **true**. You **are** working for **Sitwell** and **S.H.I.E.L.D.**!"

"Who **do you think** captured all those mutants in the concentration camps they have? Them?" Kraven scoffed, "They had to send in the **best**."

"You're a **monster** , Kraven. You know that?!"

The hunter merely shrugged.

"I do what I must for the **thrill** of the **hunt** , Spider."

He knelt over the net trap and ripped it open, grabbing **Ava** by the throat and lifting her up on her feet.

"Kraven!"

"Shhh, don't **speak** , Spider."

He withdrew his dagger and held it to Ava's neck. She stared back at Peter in disbelief and in tears, her amulet glowing brighter and brighter.

"Now… **watch** as I slay the love of your life, **boy**."

"Peter…" Ava managed to say.

" **No**! Don't **you** do it, Kraven! Don't!" Peter's voice croaked, his mind racing.

He removed his mask and threw it on the ground.

" **Take me**! Kraven! Take me! Let her go, **please**!"

Kraven laughed, pressing the blade closer to her neck.

But, suddenly, the **amulet** took control, and **Ava** aggressively growled and **shoved** Kraven off of her, disarming the **dagger** from him and throwing him down to the ground.

"The **Tiger**!" Kraven nervously pointed out.

She snarled at both him **and Peter**.

"A-Ava?!" Peter tried to slowly approach her, "It's **okay** , Ava. It's **me** , It's **Peter**!"

But the Tiger **refused** to acknowledge him. She growled one more time before running off into the street and **towards** the main roads that led to the **Amazon** , several miles out.

"No!" Peter shouted.

He leaned over and grabbed his mask, put it back on, and jumped into a web-swing, going after her.

Kraven slowly got up, shocked by what he had just seen.

But suddenly, he heard a loud **thud** behind him.

He quickly turned around with his dagger drawn, ready to fight whatever had appeared.

But, there was **nothing**.

"You're going to **pay** for what you did to **her** ," a voice spoke.

Kraven turned to come face-to-face with **Phantom** , who stood with his arms crossed.

The hunter chuckled.

"Ah, the elusive **Phantom**! I should've known!"

The specter ignored him.

"So, **how exactly** am **I** going to pay for hunting Ayala down? Hmm?"

"Well, don't ask **me**. I'm **not** the one who's going to make you pay," Phantom coolly answered, " **Ask** my **good friend** , who's **right behind** you."

Kraven's heart raced as he felt a towering presence **appear** behind him.

Slowly, he turned, and was met with **Wolfe**.

The phantom hunter simply grimaced.

" **So you're** a hunter?" he snarled, displaying his wolf-like teeth, "…and now, **you're the hunted**!"

Wolfe pounced on Kraven, violently ripping him apart with his teeth.

Phantom walked away, staring off at the direction that Spider-Man and White Tiger had ran off towards, trying to keep the sounds of the carnage happening behind him out of his mind.

* * *

 **Note**

Ahhhh, this is my favorite chap guys! Please let me know what y'all think! sorry for the busy busy day! i've got finals to take care of and it's not easy going thru all of them! hope u guys have a kick ass friday and a great weekend! i'll try to write up another chap this weekend!

thanks for the reviews! all u guys are the best! =)

hit that follow/fave button if ur lovin the story! =D let me know what u liked, let me know what you didn't like + suggestions

peace, my dudes!

-jack montero


	29. Finding White Tiger

_**Finding White Tiger**_

* * *

 _Somewhere deep within the Amazon Rainforest…_

The **Vampiric League's** formation of bikes had finished its **blood run** through the villages and were well on their way towards the **coordinates** that **Phantasm** and **Grey Ghost** had given them. As the evening carried on late into the night, the bikers had to stop to refuel at a lone gas station out on a side road that led deeper into the jungle.

The formation leader, **Raziel** , a **Higher Vampire** , answered an incoming phone call while his subordinates filled up the bikes.

 **Phantasm** and **Grey Ghost** took a moment to look through the gas station's fridges for something cold to drink. The vampires had nothing but blood to drink and they needed **water** to reenergize from the day.

" **Avoid** the soda, **Wren**. We **both** know what happened the last time you started downing pop," Selena warned while she paid the cashier for her bottles of water.

"Okay, how was **I** supposed to know they were laced with anti-specter poison!? Besides, **just** orange juice for me."

"Uh-uh. You were puking your brains out through the next two alternate realities."

"Never again will I drink another can of **Pepsi** , or **Coke** for that matter."

As they approached the bikers outside, **Raziel** had gotten off his phone and solemnly approached the two specters.

"I've **bad** news, Phantasm, Grey Ghost," his raspy, smoker's tone of voice reported.

"What is it?" Wren sternly inquired.

"The **Reaper Invasion** has arrived to **Rio** and the **Underground** has scattered. **King Dracula** has ordered **all** the vampires in the country to go assist with the evacuation."

Selena and Wren both looked at each other, exchanging looks of surprise.

"Damn it…" Selena murmured, placing the water down and crossing her arms, pacing about.

"How much farther until we get to the coordinates, then?" Wren then asked.

Raziel pointed down the direction of the back road they were travelling on.

"About **four miles** down that way, you'll find an abandoned hunting shack on the side of the road where a dirt path leads off into the jungle. Keep down that path and you'll end up there."

"It sounds like you guys already know where we're going."

" **King Dracula** has kept his attention on the facility ever since **S.H.I.E.L.D.** abandoned it," Raziel simply answered, "Just stay on the path and don't stray from it or you'll get lost **quick**."

"Thank you, **Raziel**. I'm sorry that the war's reached **Brazil** ," Selena sincerely told him.

Raziel slightly bowed his head in respect.

"I **apologize** for this, specters. I hope you both find what you are looking for."

"Thanks. Good luck back there," Wren wished him as they bid farewell.

With that, **Raziel** and the bikers turned back around and kicked into a faster gear as they sped off back towards **Rio** , leaving **Phantasm** and **Grey Ghost** to continue travelling on foot.

"Well, at least we've got water and juice, **Wren** ," Selena optimistically pointed out, stuffing the bottles into her pack.

"I suppose so."

They started their way down the back road, using their flashlights to traverse their way through the dark night.

 _A while later…_

They found the dirt path that Raziel had told them to walk straight on and followed it. It reminded them of the trail they followed through the distant villages in the jungle weeks earlier. They had walked so much that they were used to it.

After about an hour on the trail, their flashlights began to flicker out.

" **Shit**. They're dying, Selena."

"Did you get those extra batteries?"

Wren rummaged through his pack only to realize that they didn't have any.

"Uhm…"

"You didn't get them, did you?"

Wren nervously laughed.

" **Greeeaat**. We're stuck again. It's like that one alternate universe where the sun didn't exist," she sighed, taking a seat on a nearby stump.

"What do we do now?" he questioned, watching the flashlights flicker.

Selena took out a small platinum-silver colored metallic device and began playing with it.

"We're **still several miles** from the facility," she pointed out, " **I** can't see in the dark and neither can you, Wren. We need some back up here."

"Who?"

"I know a guy," she humored him, winking.

" **Really**? Someone I should know about?"

"Relax, Wren. Just someone we met a few realities ago."

"Um… **Adam Warlock**? **Captain Marvel**?"

" **No** , Wren. **Drifter**."

"Oh, **that guy**. Wait, **how** can he help us out?"

"Hold on, I'm pinging a multiversal message to him. Hopefully he can come help us out."

She used the device to send the message and they both waited, watching as the flashlights continued to dim.

 _A few minutes later…_

Suddenly, a bright green portal opened up, slashing a rift in the time-space continuum, and from it, a **stranger** calmly walked out, the portal closing behind him.

He wore a dark brown leather duster and a hood that covered his masked face. His chest and legs were protected with a black-tinted type of armor with silver lining. The mask, strikingly **similar** to that of **Spider-Man** 's, was red with black webbing.

In his right hand, he carried some sort of rifle with web-designs engraved on it and some sort of scanner-like device held up by a belt on his right side.

He slowly looked around until he spotted **Selena** and **Wren** , approaching them.

" **Drifter**!" Selena cheerily greeted.

"Phantasm. Grey Ghost," Drifter politely greeted, continuing to observe the area, "What an **interesting** place you have us meet in."

"It was **Selena's** idea," Wren pointed out.

"I see. Well, I **do** have other pressing matters at the moment, but a favor **is** a favor. What do you need?"

Selena held up their dying flashlights.

"We need to get down **that** way," she pointed down the direction of the path, "…and our **flashlights** are dying. You're a man of gadgets. We could use something that won't die on us."

Drifter stared at the flashlights for a brief second before turning his attention back on Selena.

"…You called me to this alternate reality for **that**?"

"Like I said. **Her** idea," Wren reiterated.

"Pretty **please** , Drift? Consider your debt **repaid** if you do this little thing for me!" Selena suggestively insisted.

Drifter was unfazed by her appeal.

"If it makes us **even** , then I **might** have something."

He reached to his back and took out a black leather bag and started looking through it. Discarding an assortment of **grenades** , **bombs** , **scanners** , and other **lethal oddities** , Drifter finally pulled out a **lantern-type** source of light.

"Here, try **this**."

He handed Selena the lantern and it glowed a bright violet glow.

"Whoa," she awed.

"It'll glow for as long as an organic being holds it. Set it down, and it'll turn off within seconds," he calmly explained, "…so use it wisely."

"It's **perfect**!" she enthusiastically answered, "Thank you, **Drift**! I **knew** you'd pull through for us!"

Wren rolled his eyes.

"Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Drifter opened another green portal behind him.

"…I've got a **Dark Web** to dethrone."

And with that, he left them alone. Selena put away her flashlight and held up the violet-glowing lantern to continue down the path.

"You were **totally** flirting with him," Wren irritably pointed out.

"Was **not** , Wren," she insisted.

"Uh-huh."

* * *

 _Back on-board_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _, on the command platform…_

 **R.O.G.U.E.** kept a close eye on the situation in **Rio de Janeiro** , with minute-by-minute updates on the global map and status updates on the heli-carriers in the region evacuating civilians and mutants alike. Additional heli-carriers were being placed on standby, ready to deploy to assist if need be.

 **MJ** and **Harry** joined **Director Hill** and **Coulson** on the command platform, monitoring the situation and getting information to broadcast to the rest of the world. **Dr. Banner** , **Black Marvel** , and **Cable** were also present, advising Hill on the direction of the operation.

"It looks like **Thor** has finally rejoined us," Banner commented, taking a subtle sigh of relief, " **Finally** , we've got **gods** on our side."

"…and **we're** still waiting on the **Hulk** to join them, Bruce," Hill remarked, keeping her attention on the screen.

It was no **secret** that **Dr. Strange's** magic back in **Tokyo** seemed to have calmed the anger of the Hulk for the moment, but **Banner** had also been doing his best to keep the Hulk from coming out.

"Regardless, it seems like the evacuation is coming along fine. However," Cable paused.

"However, what?" Hill questioned, glancing over at him.

"…It seems **odd** that they haven't deployed the **Vitruvian Destiny** **yet** ," he observed.

"I agree," Black Marvel concurred, "that green gas was the first thing they hit us with back in **Berlin**. They're taking their time with **Rio**."

"So, what does that mean?" MJ wondered.

"Maybe **Reaper** is handling this differently than what he's used to," Cable suggested, "we need to wrap up this operation **fast** , and get them the **hell** out of there."

Director Hill concurred and sent a message via her specialists to begin sending the heli-carriers out to the sea to escape Brazil with the refugees. They would be transported directly to **Wakanda** , where **King T'Challa's** people would facilitate them as need be.

Then, **Harry** had something to ask,

"What about an antidote to this **Vitruvian Destiny**?"

Cable glanced over to him, his left laser eye shining brightly.

"No such thing exists," he sternly informed him, "in **one** timeline, they **almost** had an antidote, but **Reaper** saw it destroyed before it was completed. To find a cure for it would be to cure **all specters** of their affliction."

MJ and Harry glanced over at each other, knowing full well the importance of that. An anitdote would mean everyone in **Specter Haven** could be cured and returned to normal beings. With that sort of advantage, half of **Reaper's** forces would lose their effectiveness.

* * *

 _Back in the park where_ _ **Kraven**_ _was killed in_ _ **Rio**_ _…_

"Are you **quite** done, **Wolfe**?" Phantom sternly questioned, turning back to face his counterpart.

Wiping the blood from his fangs, Wolfe merely grinned. Phantom looked at whatever was left of **Kraven** , which wasn't much. The phantom hunter hadn't really eaten him so much as made a messy example out of him.

"I should've gotten you a **bib** for that, old man," Firewalker joked, appearing out of view from a cloud of smoke.

Behind him, **Fox** , **Deadpool** , and **Nova** emerged into the entrance of the park.

" **Juicy** ," Deadpool playfully commented, looking at the bloody remains.

"Um, where's **web-head**?" Nova inquired, scanning the area.

"He ran off after **White Tiger** ," Phantom answered, pointing at the direction they left.

"Wait, you guys found **Ava**?!"

" **Peter** did."

"Dude, what are we standing around for?! Let's go help him! Wait… **why** did Ava run?"

"She's turned into the **Tiger**. The amulet took over," Phantom clarified.

" **Shiiiiiit**. I remember the **last time** that happened."

"Well, it looks like the **web-slinger** couldn't contain the web-shooter in his **pants** ," Deadpool humorously added.

"Not cool, homie," Firewalker retorted.

"Look," Nova interjected, " **Even if** Ava's gone full-Tiger mode, we **still** got to go help them. We can't let **Pete** face her alone. The Tiger will tear him apart if he tries to corner her."

"He's right," Fox was in agreement, "But, _**The Eidolon**_ is helping the others, we would need the _**Milano**_ again to go after them."

They glanced back to see the space-worthy modified **Quinjet** parked in an empty lot across from the entrance to the park. **Rocket** and **Groot** were arguing over something through the windshield of the cockpit.

" **Rocket** 's not going to be happy about that," Nova murmured.

Despite that, they loaded up on the _**Milano**_ and headed off towards the direction where **Spidey** and **White Tiger** ran off, right as a storm system began brewing over the legendary rainforest.

 _A while after they left…_

A small group of what appeared to be **Kraven's men** appeared from the intersecting streets around the park. They rolled in on a convoy of jeeps and trucks, stopping next to the park.

From the middle black jeep, a leather high-heeled boot stomped hard onto the concrete as its passenger door opened. A **woman** with short black hair, fairly aged white skin, and a form-fitting leather coat with fur lining marched out with a group of armed hunters behind her.

She spotted the remains of **Kraven** , her bright blue eyes widening at the sight of the disemboweled hunter, a slight tear shedding from her right eye.

Mustering her anger, she wiped off the tear and kept a stern gaze on him.

"Clean this mess up," she firmly ordered her hunters in a Russian accent, "Prepare the remains for transport back to **Russia**. We need to leave this city before these machines get to us."

"At once, **Mrs. Kravinoff** ," a hunter obeyed.

 **Sasha Kravinoff** watched as they cleaned up her deceased husband's remains and placed him into a black body bag, carefully stowing it away in the back of her black jeep.

"As I've warned you, **Sergei** , the **hunt** would eventually **kill** you," she whispered to herself, "Rest assured, the **hunt** will **not** end with your death."

With nothing more to say, they left, exiting through the backroads out of **Rio** and disappearing into the jungle towards a secret airstrip.

* * *

 _Back on the beaches of the city where the evacuation point was…_

With the **sentinels** on the beachside destroyed, **R.O.G.U.E.** finished loading up the life-ships as much as they could, and the heli-carriers began departing from **Rio**. **The Avengers** and **The Defenders** remained on the ground, calling up the **Aven-Jet** to take them to where the **Underground** 's last point of contact was and reestablish communications with **Black Widow**.

They loaded up and glided across the city skyline, watching as hundreds of more sentinels continued to land and wreak havoc across the city.

" **So** , are we going to talk about **where** you've been, Thor?" Steve calmly questioned.

Thor made a slight grin, confidently gripping Steve's shoulder.

"Let's just say there was a many **family politics** I had to take care of back in **Asgard**."

"Trouble with your brother, **Loki**?" Dr. Strange curiously inquired.

"Something like that. But, more importantly, I am here to ensure you all are successful in this fight against **Reaper**."

"I would **hope** so," Frank muttered, "Didn't expect **Nordic gods** to take interest in us."

"The bigger picture is scarier than you think, Frank," Luke remarked.

" **You** there, man with the white skull," Thor greeted, holding out his hand, "I am **Thor Odinson**. God of Thunder. There is nothing for you to fear."

"Yeah, good seeing you. **Frank Castle**. **Punisher**."

Thor greeted the others he hadn't met as well, informing everyone all together that **Reaper's** presence ultimately threatens the delicate balance throughout the realms. His ability to traverse separate realities and timelines also makes him susceptible to rewriting history in the eyes of the Asgardians. And so, it was in his best interest to return and help them stop him.

He also briefly explained a series of events that had plagued **Asgard** while he was gone and that he feared the worst in the coming ages. But, that was for another time.

Steve briefed him on what's happened and how bad the invasion has become worldwide. One thing was for certain: they had their work cut out for them.

"Any contact with the **Underground**?" Daredevil asked, looking over the edges of the city as they approached.

"Nothing," **Black Panther** answered, "But, we have a pinpoint on their location. I will fly us there and make our landing."

They looked on the side windows to spot a grouping of **vampires** help escort civilians **out** of the city through the main highway. The **Brazilian military** were surprisingly complying with the **Underground** mutants, ensuring that the people were taken away from the city to the interior of the country, where they had their own refugee centers set up.

 **T'Challa** gently landed the **Aven-Jet** on the side of the highway, opening up the rearside ramp to allow the others to disembark.

 **King Dracula** was helping coordinate his **Vampiric League** with the rest of the ranking members of his biker gang, having transformed back to his human-like form. He quickly dropped the conversation once he spotted the **Avengers** approach them.

" **Avengers** ," he gravely greeted, "It is **good** that you all have arrived."

"We evacuated who we could from the beachside of the city," Steve affirmed to him, "How are you guys holding up here? Where's **Black Widow**?"

Dracula's expression remained solemn, having looked down to the ground as Steve mentioned her name.

"Captain America… there was… an **incident** …"

"What do you mean an **incident**?" Steve's voice grew sterner, "Where is she?"

"Calm down, **Captain** ," Black Panther advised, placing a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Please, follow me," Dracula instructed them.

They all walked through the heavily militarized checkpoint where more citizens were running towards from the city. Military helicopters, tanks, and infantry units were sent off into the city to try and save more people, but they knew they might not come back.

There were several families crying, some over their wounds, and many over their dead. Medical personnel were on site, with members of the **Vampiric League** administering their vampiric blood to heal the life-threatening injuries.

 **Luke** and **Danny** glanced over at each other as they walked through, knowing how bad this was in other cities around the planet.

"We can't save them all, Danny," Luke pointed out the fundamental principle everyone knew was a fact.

"…no matter how much we want to. I **know** , Luke. It is still difficult to continuously see so much death and despair."

"Can't that **Strange** guy use his **Infinity** rock to turn back time or something?" Jessica naively asked, "I overheard **Hill** suggest that in one of the briefings."

"Possibly," Danny concurred, "But, the situation that is present is that this event is **inevitable** , and I believe Dr. Strange knows that too. We can turn back time but some way, somehow, this series of events will occur once again. And we cannot jeopardize the stability of this timeline to try and prevent it."

"Ugh," she responded, "I miss the times where I was **ignorant** to this kind of thing."

"Trust us," Luke humored her, "…we miss it too!"

At the head of the group, **Thor** had a few words as well.

"This… is **much worse** than I had imagined."

"It gets **only much worse** , Thor," Dr. Strange remarked, "This is **across** the **entire** planet."

They reached a small military encampment where they noticed several civilians, human and mutant alike, both working together to evacuate as many people as they could and forming some sort of counter-attack into the city.

Around a small campfire at the edge of the camp, **Black Cat** , **Squirrel Girl** , and **Psylocke** sat around, watching the flames of the fire dance around.

"They are here," **Dracula** greeted his counterparts.

The three ladies stood up, all with grim expressions of sadness, mirroring that of the people they had just walked by.

"Where's **Nat**?" Steve cut straight to the point.

Black Cat closed her eyes, a small glimmer of tears at the edges of her eyelids. When she opened them, revealing her mesmerizing bright blue eye contacts, she simply shook her head.

"She's… she's **gone** , Captain," Squirrel Girl sadly spoke up.

Steve's eyebrows furrowed, closing his eyes and balling his fists to resist his shreds of sadness.

"What. **Happened**?"

With Black Cat at a loss for words, Squirrel Girl and Psylocke explained the arrival of **Dragonfly** , one of **Reaper's Vanguard** , who attacked them, seeking to kill them. They told them how the mutate had impaled Natasha with her spear and how the valiant Black Widow detonated an energy grenade to vaporize both her and Dragonfly.

Steve listened intently, nodding slightly before walking off in an angered march. Bucky followed him to make sure he was okay.

"I'm **so** sorry," Black Cat finally managed to tell them, "I've known her for so long it's… it's heartbreaking to know she sacrificed herself to save us."

" **Victory** no matter the cost," Frank remarked to himself, seemingly taking a moment of silence for Black Widow.

"Thank you for notifying us," Dr. Strange graciously affirmed to them, "This is… difficult for us to process, but nevertheless, we **must** continue to fight. We will have time to mourn once we've saved these people."

"The doctor is right," Black Panther, in agreement, pointed out, "Where are we as far as evacuations go?"

Dracula explained the situation to them, indicating that they've exhausted all their resources and pulled every favor the **Underground** had in order to save their people. Now, with the **Brazilian military** stepping in to help, the **Underground** was able to devote resources to **R.O.G.U.E.** as need be.

"So, you're proposing an alliance?" Dr. Strange clarified.

"Do you **really** think we will let what has happened here go without **consequence**?" Dracula firmly questioned, " **No**. Collectively, we will **fight** the entity responsible for this."

"We're all in agreement," Psylocke concurred, "My mutants will **fight**."

"We may be teenagers, but **we** will **fight** too," Squirrel Girl enthusiastically added.

"And my **vampires** will **fight** as well," Dracula affirmed.

Black Cat gathered herself and nodded.

"And **I** will pour every last cent I have to ensure we have the means to stop **Reaper**."

They thanked the **Underground** for their support. While they worked out the details of the alliance, they received a call from **Hawkeye**.

The **X-Men** mutants that were imprisoned by **S.H.I.E.L.D.** were on their way to **Wakanda** , adding that they recovered **Wanda** as well, in critical condition.

 **Black Panther** informed them of **Black Widow** 's death, urging them to make physical contact with them as soon as humanly possible.

But,

Before they were able to act, a loud metallic horn was emitted throughout the city. They watched as the **sentinels** stood **completely still** , ceasing their attack.

"Oh, **no** …" Dr. Strange murmured, glancing over to the militants in the camp, " **You men**! Get your guys out of the city, **right** now!"

But… it was too late.

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

Reaper observed closely, having seen **Black Widow** sacrifice herself to defeat **Dragonfly** , reducing his Vanguard greatly. He continued to watch as his sentinels continued to arrive in stronger waves, decimating whole favelas at once, destroying churches and schools, and ripping the nation's military force apart.

The holographic war map centralized on a small girl running away from a chasing mob of **Argos Sentinels** who had just murdered her mother and father, and Reaper closed his eyes once the machines caught up to her.

"They've brought this upon themselves," he muttered to himself, "They have **only themselves** to blame."

"My Lord?" Moros inquired, "Are you, all right?"

The specter nodded.

"What **I do** is for the **greater good** , Moros," Reaper sincerely spoke, "But, I've seen this city suffer enough…"

 **Moros** and **Tombstone** waited for Reaper to give the order but grew impatient once they realized that the specter seemed to grow somber watching the destruction continue. They feared that he had a change of heart.

"… **ascend them**. The **Vitruvian Destiny must not** spare a single soul."

"At once, my Lord," Moros, relieved, acknowledged.

* * *

 _Somewhere in the Amazon…_

 **Peter** chased **Ava** for hours, now into the early morning hours of the next day. He swung from tree branch to tree branch, ignoring the beads of sweat surging through his skin as the environment grew more humid.

The humidity began to affect his **web shooters** , diluting the web solution in his canisters and weakening his strands of web. Despite him using them past their limits, they held on just a little while longer, before completely **failing** on him and causing him to drop several feet down to the jungle floor.

"Ow… **ow** …" he groaned, having landed hard on his right side.

He gathered himself back on his feet and continued on-foot through the brush and activating his mask visor's night vision mode he had modified.

His senses were able to track Ava's trail and stay on it.

And so, he **ran** … and ran… and ran. All while avoiding all sorts of snakes, spiders, and other dangerous wildlife. However dangerous they may have been, they seemed to be weary of the red and blue-wearing masked superhero, staying out of his way.

Finally, he came across an open landing within the middle of the jungle and lost her trail. There was debris of what looked like a downed jet or something. He couldn't help but find the area seemingly familiar, but ultimately ignored it.

"Come **on** , Ava! Why… why run?! I've waited **two years** to find you and now… **gone** again."

The tired webslinger found the downed trunk of a tree and sat on it, taking off his mask and throwing it angrily onto the ground, and planting his face into his hands.

"Stupid **Peter**. Stupid. Why didn't you do something before Kraven got ahold of her? Why?"

Unbeknown to him, **White Tiger** stalked him while he sat on the tree within the landing. She crawled along a branch, jumping silently to the next, while keeping her eyes fixed on him, inching closer and closer.

Frustrated, Peter inspected his web-shooters, seeing if there was anything he could do to fix them.

To his dismay, the web canisters were no good anymore. Water had clogged up from condensation into the colder canisters, completely making them useless.

He sighed.

"Looks like I'm going to have to re-design my web fluids to fix this problem. The web fluid S.H.I.E.L.D. used to provide me didn't use to do this…"

Suddenly, Tiger made her move, and pounced right on top of him, **hissing** at him while her claws pinned him down to the tree.

" **A-Ava**?" he struggled to say, "It's me… it's **Peter**! Please… please say you remember me."

He could see Ava's eyes glimmering beneath the eye-visors of her white mask. However, the green glow of the **Jade Tiger Amulet** shined brightly, nearly blinding him as she continued to hold him down under the amulet's control.

"Why are you **after** me?" The Tiger spoke, in a warped tone of Ava's voice.

"For **Ava** …"

" **Ava** is **gone**."

"That… that **can't** be true! She's… she's **you**!"

"She offered her body as a vessel for the **Tiger** ," she growled, "she was **too weak** to protect the amulet."

"Well, you're safe now, aren't you?! Let go of her!"

She shook her head.

"I've waited **too long** to break free from my imprisonment. Not even **her love** for you can protect you…"

"W-What do you mean?"

The Tiger lifted up her right hand, her claws fully extended, ready to slash Peter to bits.

His heart raced, realizing what the Tiger was about to do.

"W-Why **are you doing this**?"

"Because you couldn't leave her be!"

"Well, I'm **not** going to let you keep her!"

Peter mustered his strength and buckled the Tiger off of him, quickly slipping his mask on and getting to his feet.

The Tiger hissed at him once she quickly regained herself, slowly pacing around him to get a better angle to attack him.

Suddenly, the clouds above them began to rain, covering the entire landing in a blanket of rainfall.

" **Fool**!" she taunted, "You're going to **die** before you see her again!"

"Then so be it! As long as she's safe!" Spidey readied himself to rush her, "I'm sorry if this hurts, **Ava**!"

He ran forward, swinging his fists to try and knock the Tiger down, but she was too **quick** , too **agile** , dodging his attacks before taking a hard swipe at his right forearm, drawing blood as she sliced the skin.

"Argh!" he cried.

"Have you thought to ask yourself what if she's **stopped** loving you the same?!" The Tiger then inquired, slowly approaching him.

"I'm going to have to hear that **from her** , not **you**!"

Rushing again, he tried to daze her with a kick to the head, but she swiftly dodged it, side-stepped and took a hard swipe at his back, causing him to cry out again in pain.

She didn't stop there, though. While he tried to retreat away, she grabbed his right arm and extended him out to where his chest was exposed to her, and she began slashing him repeatedly, drawing blood everywhere out of the webslinger, and kicking him down to the ground.

He saw memories of the training sessions he used to have with the team, with **Ava** , flash across his eyes, remembering her advice, her life lessons, and her **care** for him, always telling him that he was worth more than what he thought of himself.

Mustering his strength once more, he got to his feet, his wounds burning in pain, and lifted his fists back up.

"You just don't know **when** to quit, **do you**?" The Tiger questioned with a grin.

"I **love** her."

"Foolish boy…"

He shouted a battle cry as he charged once more, trying to tackle her to the ground, but she simply side-stepped and slashed him across his lower right abdomen, dragging her claws through his flesh.

Peter fell down on his stomach after that painful swipe.

 **Disorientation and fatigue** began to envelope him, knowing he was losing the battle.

More memories from when he shared his first kiss with Ava flashed through his mind, reminding him of how much he truly missed her kisses.

Coughing up blood, he tried to **crawl** away, but he felt the Tiger's foot **stomp** him down to the ground.

"If only she could see the **cost** of your love."

He felt her claws sink deep into his left shoulder and turn him over to face her, lying face-up. Slowly, she crawled on top of him and grinned. She knew he was succumbing to his wounds.

The constant rain fogged his mask, so he slowly reached up and removed it, exposing his bloodied face.

"Such a pretty face," she continued to taunt him, raising up her right claws once more for the killing blow.

"Please… don't… **don't** …"

He tried to reach up to stop her but she sunk her left claws into his right arm, keeping him from doing.

"Goodbye, **Spider** ,"

One last memory of their forced farewell flashed across his eyes right as the Tiger plunged her claws right into his abdomen, forcing him to cough up blood. The pain surged through him, stinging even harder as it was at the physical hands of the woman he loved that did so.

" **Ava** …" his voice died to a whisper, struggling to echo the last words he ever said to her.

"…y-you were my first, and you'll be my last… forever…

"…I **love you** …"

His vision began to fade away, but he was able to hear the Tiger growl in a painful tone, as though something was conflicting inside of it. He heard Ava's voice return to normal right before he passed out.

" **Peter**!"

* * *

 **Note**

Hey guys! Here's your Sunday chap! I hope y'all really enjoy this one! I got some help from my mentor and creator of the trilogy to piece this bad boy together, so a round of applause for him too plz! =D

I'd like to give a special shout out for **The Timeless Writer** to allow me to cameo his **Drifter** OC into this story! If you guys haven't checked it out (not you regulars, everyone else), y'all really need to read _**Ultimate Spider-Man: Dimension Wars**_ , it's **really** good and it'll go more in-depth with **Drifter** and that whole story! Thanks again! =D

Also, as part of the expansion of the **Phantomverse** , **Sport21** just published his alternate timeline story: _**Phantom, a Specter Crisis: Zero**_ , give it a read and a review! Por favor! =D Pretty excited to see a veteran like him hit the ground running with that story!

Lastly, plzzzz keep an eye on the chap planning list I have posted on Afe's profile. The **next** chapter **IS** the last chapter for a **while**. It's the **HALFWAY POINT** to the story and I'll be taking a small break so that I can go chill or something, lol. maybe go to Europe or something, I don't know. I need a vacation lol. But do keep an eye out for that chap coming up soon and I'll keep you guys posted.

Thanx again for the kickass support for this story! hit that fave/follow button if you wanna read more and let me know what I did good on/what I did bad on/where I can improve! =)

++++++ Thank you guys for the reviews, no matter how small they are, but if u guys can elaborate more than just "Good job", I'd be SUPER HUMBLED! =)

peace out y'all,

Jack montero

P.s. SURVEY POLL, let me know how I'm doing! =D


	30. Hearts Reunited

_**Hearts Reunited**_

* * *

 _In Peter's subconscious…_

Am ambient blend of whispers and the screams of men and women filled the dark void within **Peter's** mind. They were ineligible, mixed, and they grew louder and louder as each second passed...

…until finally...

...they ceased all at once.

Two familiar voices suddenly echoed through the black nothingness. The voices of **Reaper** and **Phantom**.

"In what **reality** do you think you can **defeat** me, **Phantom**?"

"So long as I breathe, it doesn't matter which reality, Reaper, you will **never** win."

"Words of a dead man. Tell me, what **will** you do when I take over the mind of young **Peter Parker**?"

"You wouldn't **dare** …" Phantom remarked.

"His love for **Ava Ayala** has made his mind tender… and weak. I'll **enjoy** having him serve **me**."

"It'll **never** happen!"

"We shall see, won't we?" Reaper chuckled, "Just you wait until you see what I have in store for your allies, Phantom. Especially… your precious **Fox**."

"If you hurt her…" Phantom angrily responded.

"You'll do what? **Nothing**. Nothing but **suffer** , Phantom. As you were always **meant** to."

The voices then suddenly faded away, leaving the darkness of Peter's subconscious to silence as he remained unconscious after his fight with the **Tiger** , continuously hearing Ava's voice call to him.

* * *

 _Somewhere along the beachside edges of_ _ **Rio**_ _…_

As the **Vitruvian Destiny** dispersed from the chemical storages inside the sentinels into vapor form out onto the streets, masses of **Wraiths** morphed from the innocent men, women, and children still trapped inside the city. They were unstoppable, attacking anyone unaffected in a zombie-like rage similarly seen in the other invasion sites across the world.

From the edges of the **Atlantic Ocean** , a being materialized from the foam of the tides, **Riptide**.

The Vanguard mutant watched as the Wraiths relentlessly tore across the streets like monsters controlled by a hive-mind. They screeched and roared while they stampeded through, supplementing the sentinels with organic ground troops more vicious than the Argos Sentinels.

While Riptide passed an empty street where piles of mutilated bodies were sprawled about, a portal opened up behind him, and out emerged **Tombstone** and **Moros**.

The hammerhead helmeted mutate rolled his eyes seeing them appear.

"Oh **no** , not **you two** again! How many times do I have to tell you that…"

Suddenly, **Reaper** appeared from beyond the portal, fixing his menacing gaze upon **Riptide**.

"…that… I'm…" Riptide choked.

"No, no. **Finish** what you're about to say," Reaper darkly insisted, "How many times do you have to do **what**?"

"My Lord," he politely greeted, taking a knee, "I meant **no** disrespect."

"Ah? But you'll gladly disrespect your superiors?"

Riptide glared at Moros and Tombstone.

"I am simply following the orders I've already been assigned," Riptide affirmed, keeping his head bowed down.

Reaper approached him, stopping less than a foot away from him and prompting Riptide to stand up.

"You failed at doing what I asked in **Tokyo** and even more so, turned up **nothing** from your investigation from that ship that entered the atmosphere. It seems you're only **failing** at your orders. And I am growing **tired** of waiting for you to produce results."

Riptide clenched his teeth, angered from hearing his master speak so low of him.

"I've done nothing but **support** your **rise** , my master, with **action** , not **boot-licking** like **Moros** and **Tombstone** have," he defiantly pointed out, "If you wish to kill me to prove a point, then so be it!"

Before another word was spoken, Reaper punched Riptide so hard that it sent him falling back several feet into a building with shocks of red-imbued electricity from his bracers having nearly sent Riptide into cardiac arrest, but he saw the attack coming and had braced himself for it.

"If you **dare** speak to me like that again, **Riptide** , I'll be doing more than just that punch," Reaper threatened, "…at any rate, I cannot afford to kill you. With the loss of **Dragonfly** , **Goliath** , and **Titan** , we have become weak."

"Then send **those two** ," he grunted as he recovered from the punch, referring to Tombstone and Moros, who remained silent.

"They are overseeing the construction and operations in **Manhattan**. I've come to personally order you to another objective, one that both you and **Ember** will lead."

"Is it wise sending **her** with me? Besides **Aeolus** , she acts more immature than any of us."

"She is one of the Vanguard and you'll respect her as such," Reaper sternly emphasized, "Moros here will send you the coordinates to the meeting point out in the **Pacific Ocean** , where you will meet our human cohorts and proceed with the operation."

"Y-Yes, my master," Riptide obeyed.

Without another word, Reaper turned his back to walk back through the portal to his flag-ship, pausing for a brief moment and glancing back at Riptide.

"If I have to come here to speak to you again, Riptide, then I will kill you **myself**."

Moros and Tombstone expressed gazes of disapproval at Riptide as they followed their master thereafter and leaving him alone in the bloodied streets of the city.

* * *

 _Somewhere in the Amazon Rainforest…_

 **Selena** and **Wren** continued down the rough dirt trail, barely a foot wide, through the thick brush of the rainforest, traversing all sorts of bridges and chasms along the trail. As dawn approached, the morning storm continued to rain down hard upon the region, soaking the two specters while they made their way through.

They were slowly closing in on their location, seeing as the dirt path began to disappear and the brush grew harder to trek through.

"So, **how** do you see all of this ending, **Selena**?" Wren curiously asked, helping her cut through a barrier of vines.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully with everyone okay. Why?"

"Just **curious**. We've spent the greater part of **two** Earth years trying to find this reality. Now that we're here… it just seems like the journey will never end."

"Don't think like that, Wren," she answered, keeping her eyes on the trail, "the sooner **Reaper** is defeated and out of this timeline, the better off everyone will be."

"How can you be so sure? What of the problems that will arise afterwards? How will mutants, mutates, and humans coexist peacefully after an event like this?"

"Wren…" she sighed, "…everything will be **okay** , ok? You **know** we never stayed in a timeline long enough to figure that out. In none of the other realities, Reaper was **never** defeated."

"I know, but…"

"Just **trust** me, alright? I have an **idea** of what I'm doing. It's why we're… **here** ," she stopped short at the edge of a drop-off.

Ahead of them, they spotted the heavily faded insignia of **S.H.I.E.L.D.** on a concrete wall that was embedded within the foot of a small mountain within the forest. The secret facility seemed abandoned and taken over by the jungle.

"…at **The Archive**..."

"...where it all began..." Wren concluded.

* * *

 _On the edges of the city of_ _ **Rio**_ _…_

The **Vitruvian Destiny** gas finally dissipated but it had already done its intended purpose: infecting millions of people within the districts of the city. Even from far away, the sounds of anguish and gore could be heard throughout the ambience.

At the side of the camp where the **Avengers** and **Defenders** had met up with the **Underground** , they were now coordinating efforts to retreat, seeing that any form of evacuation inside the city was no longer possible with the **Wraiths** closing in on their location. They loaded up the **Aven-Jet** and recalled _**The Eidolon**_ to cease its pulse runs with the Super Electrode and to help evacuate some of the individuals out.

 **Steve** and **Bucky** watched from a hill on the side of the highway near the camp as the sun rose over **Rio de Janeiro** , displaying in horror the gruesome sight of Wraiths and Sentinels destroying the city and murdering countless people in their path.

Cap balled his fist in anger, shocked by this **and** the death of **Nat**. He was still taking time to process all of this.

"The fight isn't over, **Steve** ," Bucky calmly reminded him, "We **need** your guidance here. Don't lose your cool now."

"I know, **Buck** , it's just… I don't think I expected this to turn out the way it did."

Bucky placed a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"If it's anything like the war in our time, it's going to get a **hell** of a lot worse before it gets any better."

"I just hope it ends with some civilization left standing," Steve remarked.

"Let's hope so," a familiar voice spoke out.

They both turned to see **Dr. Strange** standing behind them.

"The jets are ready to depart," he informed them, "The **Brazilian Military** will take care of who they can at the refugee centers. Their officers tell me that the remnants of the government will handle it with the forwarded assistance from **R.O.G.U.E.** "

"Sounds good, so where to next then?" Bucky inquired.

"The **Underground** has pledged its resources into an alliance with us. They want to take the fight to **Reaper** , so they're coming with us back to **Alpha Base**. No doubt, **Hill** and **Coulson** will have work for them to do to solidify our effectiveness."

"What about Stark's group? Are they alright?" Steve asked the next question.

"Yes, they're fine. They've been notified of **Natasha's** death, but there **is** a silver lining. They found **Wanda** in the S.H.I.E.L.D. camp they raided. She's alive from what they could tell but they're quickly extracting her back to Alpha Base."

"Good, that's… that's good news!" Cap mustered up a cheer, "Well, we've got work to do then."

"Agreed," Strange concurred, "Also, the Guardians are with Specter Haven. They're closing in on the location of **White Tiger** somewhere out in the **Amazon**."

With that information in mind, they were ready to depart the region back to the base while they waited for more details on the whereabouts of Specter Haven and their findings.

* * *

 _In the aftermath of Spidey's fight with the Tiger…_

Those last words Peter told the Tiger was all it took for Ava's consciousness to **awaken** and resist the Tiger's hold on her, and allowing her to return to normal, keeping it back in-check within the amulet.

To her heart-shattering horror, she realized what the Tiger had done to Peter.

" **Peter**! Peter, no!" she cried, holding him up while she knelt next to him.

"Please! Please, wake up! I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't… I didn't mean to…"

But he remained unresponsive with his eyes closed, even though he still had a pulse.

Blood seeped out from his wounds, staining the blue of his costume. Ava looked around to try and find a way to stop the bleeding from the most severe injury: his deep abdominal wound.

Without anything available, she ripped off her mask and spread it evenly to try and pack it on the wound, holding it in place, and watching as the white of the mask was stained red with his blood.

Tears slid down from her eyes as she cried, trying everything within her power to save him.

"Peter, please… **don't leave me** , damn it! I waited for you! I really did! I didn't mean to do this! I didn't!"

She pressed her forehead against his, holding him close to her while she continued to hold down her mask against his wound.

Suddenly, a large **jet** hovered over the landing, shining a bright light over them. Ava looked up, fearing that it was **S.H.I.E.L.D.** The bright lights prevented her from seeing the jet's insignia, but she knew it wasn't safe for either of them to stay out in the open.

Without hesitation, she picked him up in her arms and threw him over her shoulder. She zipped through the landing and into the thick of the jungle, noticing the lights beginning to follow her.

She ran as fast as she could carrying Peter's weight, jumping over a fallen log that separated the brush with a small stream and through the vines and bushes of the jungle floor.

Suddenly, she stopped as she had reached a random concrete wall in the middle of the jungle. By then, the jet had lost her trail and she took a moment to set Peter down and examine the wall.

It seemed oddly **familiar** , the way it was set about. The wall sprawled out several yards in both directions, hidden with vines and bushes that made it seem like it was part of the mountain it rested in.

But, she didn't take long to observe, knowing the condition Peter was in.

While she went to pick him up, she heard the brush near her rustle.

She looked up to see a **man** and a **woman** , both young-looking, approach her cautiously.

The woman wore a black and white outfit, adorning her face with a white mask that covered her eyes and upper cheekbones, leaving her forehead, mouth, and chin exposed. She had long black hair and light hazel eyes with a softly tanned tone of skin. She also had knee-high black leather heeled boots.

The man had a different choice of attire, wearing a dark grey armor with his forearms and shins covered with the same color plated armor. He had long, raven black hair and a full-grown goatee. His head was almost entirely covered by a deep cowl, emphasizing his bright lavender-colored eyes.

"Who are you?!" Ava shouted her question, "Stand back! Don't come any closer!"

She stood between them and Peter's body, defiantly brandishing her claws at them.

They too, were armed, with the woman raising a silver sword and the man a dark mystical ball of energy in his hands.

But as they approached, they stopped once the woman had identified Ava.

"…Ava? Ava is that **you**?" she asked, sounding astonished.

"W-Who are you?"

The woman smiled, placing her sword in the sheath strapped on her back.

"Ava, it's… it's **me** , **Selena**!"

"S-Selena?" Ava skeptically asked, remaining defensive, "… **Phantom's** daughter?!"

"The very same!"

"H-How? I thought you disappeared after **Island M**?"

"Ha," Selena chuckled, "Well, **Wren** and **I** here **kind of** did!"

Ava slowly retracted her claws.

"Well, nevermind that. Is that **Peter**?!" Selena quickly questioned.

" **Yeah** , he's…"

"… **hurt**." Wren calmly observed, kneeling next to him and placing a soft hand over his deep abdominal wound, "…and **clinging** on to life."

"How bad is it?" Selena inquired, examining the wounds.

" **Bad**."

"Did **you** do this?"

Ava nervously nodded.

"It wasn't **me** , it was…"

"…the **Tiger** …" Selena murmured.

"Wait, how do you know?" Ava questioned, getting irritated by their manners of finishing sentences.

"Trust us, we know **a lot** of things," Wren assured her, "But, that's a long story and Peter here's running out of time. Selena?"

She rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know. Let's take him inside the facility **first**. This rain isn't going to do his healing any good."

"Wait," Ava interjected, "What are you guys going to do?"

"Save your **babe** , that's what," Selena humored her, "Come on, Wren, open the door and let's get inside."

"On it."

Wren stood back up and approached the concrete wall. He ungloved his hand and waved it in front of it, causing it to start shaking and slide down, revealing a hidden passageway.

Ava's eyes widened, realizing what this place was.

"Wait," she stopped, "Is this…?"

Selena nodded.

"It's **The** **Archive** …"

* * *

 _Inside…_

Wren and Selena both helped carry **Peter** over to the medical bay inside the facility, walking past the remains of what Ava recognized to be **Taskmaster's men** , whom they fought so long ago. Walking through the darkened corridors, she saw that the jungle had grown into the facility, with vines and brush having sprouted out from the cracks.

Finally, they reached the medical bay and Selena pulled out a violet-color glowing metallic lantern.

"I'll need you to hold this," she urged Ava, handing it to her without a response.

"Wait, what are you guys going to do?" she worriedly asked, "Please, don't hurt him!"

"Calm down, **Ava** ," Selena sternly ordered, "Just take a seat, this will only take a minute!"

Wren placed Peter down on one of the only gurneys that were there and laid him on his back.

Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion further down the hallway. Wren quickly marched to the doorway and looked out.

"We've got **company**."

"Go see who it is then, **Wren**! Ava, help me cut off Peter's costume!"

Wren obeyed and disappeared out of sight with his ghost-like abilities, closing the sliding door to the medical bay behind him.

"What are you going to do?" Ava reiterated, "Tell me so I can help!"

"I'm going to **heal** him," Selena answered, trying to find a pair of scissors in the room, "But I need **physical contact** with him."

Ava raised an eyebrow, which Selena noticed.

"Oh **come on** , nothing like that!" she assured her, "Besides, I **totally** got over the Spider-Man fangirl craze."

"Uh-huh,"

"You going to help me or what?!"

"Move aside, then," Ava ordered, extending her claws and softly cutting through the tough material of the Spider-Man costume.

"Nice!" Selena exclaimed, "I just hope we're not too late!"

* * *

 _Down the corridor of the Archive…_

The explosion opened up a huge hole in the concrete wall that covered the main entrance to the Archive. From it, **Rocket** crawled inside, holding a giant explosive ray gun, grinning from ear to ear.

"I **told** you this bad boy would do the trick!" he exclaimed.

"I am **Groot** ," Groot muttered, following in shortly after.

Specter Haven and Nova then entered. **Phantom** , having immediately recognized the Archive, stepped forward first, glancing around at the empty and darkened atrium.

"You okay, Phantom-man?" Firewalker courteously asked.

"Shut it, boy," Wolfe murmured, "This is where he was **imprisoned** for **16 years**."

"Oh shit, for real?!"

"I said shut it!"

"No, no," Phantom spoke, "It's alright. I just… I need a moment."

"Take your time," Rocket sneered, "Groot, let's see if this place has anything of value."

He scurried on his four paws through the atrium and into what appeared to be an empty security room. Groot followed him close by.

The others watched as Phantom examined the layout of the atrium closely, even sliding his hand across the dusty surface of a metallic **S.H.I.E.L.D.** insignia on the wall centered to the entrance.

"You think he remembers everything that went on in here?" Firewalker whispered to Wolfe.

"With his photographic memory? Sure, I believe it. No telling if he's moved on from it, though."

"I don't think he did," Nova added, "This place hasn't changed a bit since the last time I was here."

Fox pursed her lips, watching Phantom pace around the atrium. She wanted to go talk to him and try to make him feel better. She could sense the anguish burning inside his soul from seeing the place again.

She took a step forward and approached him.

"Fox wait!" Wolfe whispered loudly, but she ignored him.

Phantom walked towards what she assumed was a security check-point. It seemed to be where they checked in the personal items of whoever entered the facility. His memory flashed before his eyes, and he saw a younger **Alejandro Cruz** enter the facility wearing chains around his wrists and ankles and in a prisoner suit.

The front clerk demanded he turn in all jewelry, all devices, and anything that he had of personal value. He stowed his valued **golden locket** that had Maria's picture in under his armpit, holding it tightly to keep them from discovering it.

As Fox approached, he snapped out of the memory.

"Are you okay, **tonto**?"

He peered over and looked into her hazel eyes.

"I'm… I'm fine," he calmly answered, "This… this is where they took all my personal items, which wasn't much. They took away my wedding ring. My silver cross that I wore around my neck. They took away anything that anchored me to the world."

"…except the locket?"

"…except the locket," he repeated, affirming to her that he had kept it.

He had told her about the locket in their time at the Sanctuary.

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Phantom, I can't even begin to imagine the pain and suffering you went…"

He immediately held up a hand to prompt her to stop.

"It's okay, Fox. That's all in the past now, isn't it?"

"True. But, we can't hide from our pasts, Phantom. No matter how much we want to. We just can't let them define the present."

"It's defined my **whole life** ," he darkly remarked, continuing to walk through the security corridor and into the interior of the facility.

Fox glanced back and gestured for Wolfe, Firewalker, and Nova to stick close behind.

"Don't do anything stupid, guys," Nova jokingly mentioned to Rocket and Groot as they tore through the security room.

"Yeah, yeah," Rocket answered, "Just call **Quill** when you guys are ready to get back to the ship. No doubt he's getting irritated with **Deadpool** being there."

"I am Groot?"

"Of course that merc still owes me units! You think I haven't forgotten?!"

They followed Phantom and Fox through the darkened hallways, seeing the skeletal and decomposed remains of those who used to work here, who were massacred by **Taskmaster** and his men years prior. There were even the bodies of his agents as well, who were killed by Phantom when he escaped.

"What happened to this place?" Fox audibly wondered as she glanced around.

"After Taskmaster's attack and my escape, **S.H.I.E.L.D.** transferred its digital files from this place to another secure facility. They abandoned The Archive with hopes of never seeing it again or reminding themselves of the atrocities they stored here."

"What else did they have here?" Wolfe gruffly asked, sniffing around some of the bodies.

"Secrets that could've caused the next **World War** for starters," Phantom answered.

"Welp, we've got another world war going on right now for sure," Firewalker pointed out.

From the shadows of the corridors, **Grey Ghost** watched the specters enter while he remained invisible to them. For a moment, he didn't know **who** they were or what they were here for…

…that is, until he recognized **Phantom**.

* * *

 _Back at the medical facility…_

"Okay, just hold him still now, if you can!" Selena instructed Ava, who stood next to Peter's head, holding down one of his shoulders while keeping the lantern in the other hand.

"Just please… **save** him," Ava emotionally pleaded, "I… I can't stand to lose him… not again."

"No worries, sister," she charismatically assured her, snapping both her fingers to activate some sort of mystical energy charged up within her ungloved hands, "In the words of **George Lopez** , **I've got this**!"

She then placed her hands on Peter's abdomen and allowed the unknown energy to permeate from Selena's hands and **onto** Peter's entire body. It covered him like a cocoon and glowed a bright violet color before nearly blinding the two of them.

Once the light dissipated, Peter's wounds had disappeared. While he remained unconscious, he had been **healed** and breathing steadily.

"Done!" Selena happily stated.

Ava's eyes widened, in surprise of what had just happened.

"Selena… h-how did you? But, he was… how?"

"Well, let's just say I inherited a lot of dad's abilities with my experiment," she nervously explained, subtly scratching her head, " **But** , the important thing is that your man is alive and well!"

Overcome with emotion, Ava simply reached forward and hugged Selena as tight as she could. The specter was initially surprised, but realized that this meant a lot more to Ava than she realized. She hugged her back.

"Thank you, **Selena** , **thank you**!"

"No need to thank. We're lucky to have ran into each other out here is all!"

As they let go of their hug, they suddenly heard the sounds of whispers fill the ambient noise around them.

"What's that?" Ava inquired, looking around.

Selena looked outside the windows of the medical bay into the darkened corridors and felt her heart drop once she realized what it was...

...or rather **who** it was.

From the depths of the hallway, she saw **Phantom** appear out of thin air with **Wren** showing up besides him.

Her eyes widened, walking towards the entrance and opening the sliding door of the medical bay, coming face to face with her father.

"S-Selena?" Phantom's voice died down to a gasp.

"…Daddy?"

* * *

 _On-board the_ _ **X-Jet**_ _…_

Once they were finished, the **Avengers** / **X-Men** team departed **Brazil** and headed back to **Alpha Base** , leaving the remainder of the rescue operations in the region to **R.O.G.U.E.** , which began in earnest. With direct attacks on **S.H.I.E.L.D.** , it restarted the war between the two organizations.

With only a few hours into their return flight, they received reports that the R.O.G.U.E. units in Brazil liberated several more camps, of both human and mutant prisoners, complicating the situation and bringing forth the question as to what S.H.I.E.L.D.'s true intentions were.

 **Hawkeye** read the reports from on a laptop while he sat in his passenger's seat next to **Falcon** , twirling an arrow in his right hand.

"I miss the days when S.H.I.E.L.D. used to just be an agency made up of smoke and mirrors," he complained, "I mean, seriously? Concentration camps? Experimentation? What the hell, man?"

"Don't look at me. I was never a part of that mess," Falcon smugly responded.

"Perhaps it is a work of their own providence that they are involved in such actions," **Vision** calmly spoke in the passenger seat behind him, massaging his forehead, near the **Mind Gem**.

"I still can't believe we lost **Nat** ," Falcon lamented, glancing over at Clint.

"Let's… let's not talk about that."

"We've all lost loved ones," **Professor Xavier** solemnly remarked from another seat, "The best thing we can do now is ensure the **one** responsible pays for what he's done. To humanity. To all of mutant-kind."

"He'll be doing more than that all right," **Wolverine** grunted, lighting up a cigar in his mouth, "Like I said before, I'll carve **every** name of those we've lost in his **face**. Along with Sitwell's too."

"Now **that** would be a sight to see," Falcon humored.

Shortly afterwards, the **Aven-Jet** and _**The Eidolon**_ joined them in their flight formation out of **Brazil**. They transmitted a message to the _**Milano**_ to notify **Specter Haven** of the situation and to rendezvous back at Alpha Base as soon as possible.

* * *

 **Note**

Heyyyyy my dudes! =D So sorry for the late update! I had finals to finish and thank the lawd they're done and over with! I know this chap is a little short, but we'll go deeper into what they find at the archive in the next two chaps! butttttttt, I think I'm going to take that break first, lol. So, I'll be out on some vacation time and brainstorm new ideas for the next few chaps.

thanks again for the support from both the new and old community! it means a lot! I hope u guys enjoy the story as much as I have workin on it and if you're new to the series and are trying to catch up, I DO recommend reading _**The Phantom**_ , then _**Specter Haven**_ , then **_Vanquished Revenants_** , but if you don't wanna read a lot, just read the first chap of this story and it'll catch u up to speed with everything that's going on! =)

Hit my inbox up for any questions/concerns y'all might have and hit that fave/follow button if u wanna keep up to date and support the story! =) gracias, amigos! let me know what I did good on, what I did bad on, and ways you'd like to see the story improve!

I'll see u guys in a couple weeks!

\- jack montero


	31. A Memory in Time

_**A Memory in Time**_

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

A dark storm brewed over the city of Manhattan as **Reaper's** occupation of the city entered a new day. The **Reaper Sentinels** had secured all exit points through the city in an attempt to cut off the **Resistance's** supply chain through other rebel factions outside of the island. Despite this victory, they were still proving an adequate problem to the **RSF** with their guerilla style tactics and use of abandoned buildings and the underground to hide and move.

Reaper stood at the bridge of his massive flagship, watching the light of day turn to night and seeing the continued construction of their secret structure over by **Central Park**.

 **Moros** approached his master with a bottle of wine. He had removed his helmet to appropriately offer a glass.

" **Master** ," he politely spoke, "Our troops retrieved this from the raids in the high-rise penthouses across the city. A bottle of **Scharzhofberger Riesling**. Consider this a present to you for your victories, my lord."

Reaper glared at the bottle and the glass with presumed distaste but didn't protest when Moros poured a glass of the wine from its green tinted bottle.

"To your **health** , my lord," Moros added, handing his master a glass of wine.

He chuckled hearing this, slowly shaking his head while he twirled the glass with his fingers.

"If you think that **anything** that we're doing here is a **victory** , then you are **mistaken** , **Moros**."

Moros stopped sipping his own glass and stared at his master with a confused expression.

"What do you mean, my lord?"

Reaper returned his gaze to the dark Manhattan skyline, keeping the glass in his right hand.

"This is **redemption** for the atrocities that I witnessed in my lifetime. An eye for an eye. A life for a life. This is how the humans must be repaid in kind."

"H-How was it like in your lifetime, master? If I may ask?"

He made a small sigh.

"A different reality, a different time. In days where the **Civil Rights Movement** prospered, individuals like **Erik Lehnsherr** and **Charles Xavier** preached the word of unity between mutants and humans alike."

"Magneto? Unity?"

" **Once upon a time** , yes. Xavier did his best to negotiate a treaty with the humans for mutants to have a say in the United States, on the global stage. He dreamed of a day where all nations accepted mutants as equals, and not as inferior beings. Although we had support in some activist groups, the government distrusted us. They influenced the population to see us as criminals, as an infestation waiting to be exterminated."

Reaper held his head low re-telling his tale.

"Surely, there were laws to protect mutants, right?"

"The laws of man protected **man** and **not** mutants, or mutates for that matter. Humans were **scared** of what we were able to do **to** them, but they **never** asked what we could do **for** them. Xavier tried to emphasize that, but they wouldn't listen. They could never come to accept us for who we were."

* * *

 _In a distant reality, many years ago…_

 **Charles Xavier** sat across **Erik Lehnsherr** while **Phantom** ( **Reaper** )stood across in the corner of the wooden-walled room. He watched his two leaders talk on speakerphone with someone on the other end of the telephone, someone of **importance** , someone who was well-regarded in the **United States Senate**. He couldn't remember the name.

" **Mr. Senator** , **please**. Listen to **reason** , here. These mutants we're talking about are just **kids** , without the knowledge to hurt **anyone**! You can't go after us all for the actions of **one**!" Xavier pleaded with the man.

"That **boy** incinerated an entire classroom of **human** children, Xavier!" the man bellowed, "…just because he was **scared**! Do you have **any** idea the level of repercussions this will bring?! These mutants are walking **bombs**!"

"Had that ' **walking bomb** ' not been **bullied** by those humans, he wouldn't have gotten scared, Mr. Senator," Erik firmly pointed out, "This child contained his powers every day while he underwent being beaten, being robbed, ostracized by these human children. I'm frankly surprised he waited this long to **act**."

"What was that?!"

" **Erik** , **please** ," Xavier motioned for calmness between Erik and the senator.

"Ugh, I'm **done** helping you both out, do you hear me?! This is the **final straw**. You've lost my support. In a few days' time, I will push for the senate to vote on removing mutants from within our borders. You mutants have **no right** to live amongst us!"

With that, the phone call dropped, and the line went dead.

Xavier sighed, standing up and walking over to the window, looking out into the sunset on the horizon.

"We are running out of options, **Charles** ," Erik sadly told him, "We **need** to get our people to **safety** before these persecutions begin."

"I just thought… I thought we could live amongst them peacefully. **Erik** , let me speak to the representatives in the house tomorrow. I'll see if maybe there's a way to turn this around," Xavier pleaded.

"It's **too dangerous** , my friend. With these **death squads** marching the streets of every major city now, we can't afford that. We **must** begin sending our people to **Genosha** , **now**. We will be safe there."

"Please, **Erik**. The humans are just **scared**. I will try to give them reason not to fear us! Just one last chance, please!"

Erik looked back at his lifelong friend with a grave expression.

"Very well, Charles. If you think it will help. But please, don't take long."

Phantom watched as Xavier walked out of the office.

* * *

 _Back on_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

" **Charles Xavier** was assassinated that next morning on the steps of the **Capitol** building in **Washington D.C.** by pro-human radical groups. They used special weapons and ammunition created by **Bolivar Trask** to target mutant skin. With his death, all hope of peace between the mutants and the humans ceased to exist. Without further action, **Magneto** ordered all mutants to evacuate their nations and head to **Genosha** , where he assured them they would live in safety," Reaper explained.

Moros listened intently, hearing the sadness in his master's voice.

"What was **Genosha** like?"

"It was a thriving metropolis, **Moros**. If you only could've seen it. Magneto spared no expense in building its infrastructure. He ensured there was enough room for everyone as well as something for everyone to do. Mutants taught, they built, they traded, they loved, and they **lived**. We existed in harmony before… before the **humans** arrived…"

* * *

 _On_ _ **Genosha**_ _…_

Sirens rang off throughout the streets of **Genosha** , prompting thousands of mutant men, women, and children to run towards the shelters at the heart of the city, in the **Citadel** , **Magneto's fortress**. The mutants who stood and fought were cut down with relative ease by the combined might of **S.H.I.E.L.D.** , their heli-carrier fleet, and their **Sentinel** forces that Bolivar Trask helped create.

Phantom took cover behind a downed truck, leading a small team of mutants to try and push away the S.H.I.E.L.D. forces long enough for more civilian mutants to flee to safety. He was aided by **Colossus** , **Cyclops** , and **Domino**. They all took cover while laser-fire shot at them.

A huge battalion of human soldiers were rushing towards them from the other end of the long street that led up the mountain path towards the Citadel.

"We can't hold them all off, Phantom! We need to pull back!" Cyclops insisted.

"Agreed. Their weapons can hurt us!" Colossus added, "You saw how they killed off the others back there!"

" **No**!" Phantom sternly negated, "We **must** continue to push them back!"

"The island is **lost** , Phantom!" Domino remarked, "We can make a better defense at the Citadel! Not out here!"

"We've got to **try**!"

Suddenly, they heard the screams of a child. They looked over the street and saw a small, black-haired mutant girl try to wake her dead mother up. Her mother seemed to have been shot through her chest, her eyes open and staring aimlessly out to the sky. The little girl cried hard, trying to use her frost-like powers to bring her mother back to life, but to no success.

"Little girl! Come over here! Where it's safe!" Cyclops kindly pleaded.

"No! I have to save my mommy!" the girl answered, trying to drag the body to the back of a car to avoid the laser-fire.

"Cover me!" Phantom ordered, "I'll get her to safety back here!"

Without another word, he rushed out into the open. He kept his gaze straight on the girl while he ran towards her, feeling slight bites of laser-fire grazing his arm and leg. With a few meters away, he sensed danger. He glanced over and saw a human soldier fire off a **missile launcher** straight at him.

Time seemed to slow down in those vital seconds where he closed in on the girl to try and save her, but he was too late. The missile hit a foot or so away from where the girl was and completely obliterated the entire side of the road.

A few moments later…

…Phantom awoke on his back, feeling the sharp stings of shrapnel having pierced through the side of his chest-plate armor. **Colossus** had dragged him back to behind the truck. With Domino and Cyclops being overwhelmed by laser-fire, they elected to retreat to the Citadel.

As Colossus picked him up so that they can run back towards the fortress, he saw the dismembered bodies of both the little girl and her mother, sprawled about where the missile had hit. The shrapnel had sliced through the both of them like ribbons.

He was in-and-out of consciousness as his regenerative ability kicked in, but he couldn't shake the sight out of his mind.

* * *

 _Back on_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

Moros couldn't see Reaper's face because of his helmet, but a small black tear shed itself from the specter's eyes. Mere words couldn't define the anguish that Reaper held deep in his damned soul from what he witnessed in his timeline.

"Alas…" Reaper continued, "… those that perished in my life are gone forever to the cosmos. Forgotten by time. Forgotten by the nexus of this multiverse we find ourselves in. What's **important** now is that we exact our revenge here and now."

"Why in **this** reality, master? When there are millions more we could conquer?"

"Because **this** is the only reality where my daughter becomes the **Phantasm**. If we've learned anything from the other realities… it's that **she's** the only variable I cannot account for my success. Her death must come swiftly if we are to succeed."

"We've succeeded in the other realities, master. But, if Phantasm is the unknown, why not kill her and be done with it?"

"Because **Phantasm** is no ordinary mutate, Moros. To my own undoing, she holds the very power to bend the outcome in her favor. But, even so. If we are to **fail** , we'll bring down the rest of this planet, the galaxy, and the universe down with us."

"Ah," Moros observed, "…through the **World-Ender** **Sentinel** , my lord?"

Reaper slowly shook his head, glancing over at the bone-designed silver throne that sat at the rear of the bridge. On its **left** armrest was a **silver** glove of some sort. A silver **gauntlet**.

Moros noticed and looked over as well.

"…is that?"

"Remember when we visited **Earth-616** , we took a detour through the universe?" Reaper calmly asked.

"I do. You ordered us to leave you alone with someone on the planet **Titan** , I believe?"

"That is correct. It was then that I realized we had an **alternative** to this reality. One that I won't hesitate to exercise should it come to it."

* * *

 _At_ _ **The Archive**_ _…_

As **Phantom** embraced his once-lost daughter **Selena** in his arms, the mental connection he once shared with her exploded into an array of several memories and experiences.

For a split second, Phantom revisited an entire memory that he once experienced, but in a different perspective…

…something he hadn't realized before…

* * *

 _Eighteen years earlier…_

In a secret, remote location somewhere in the **United States** , S.H.I.E.L.D. agents escorted **Subject 51** to the testing room, where they were to conduct the next experiment in part of **Project Vitruvian** , part of the **Athena-Class Projects** contracted by **Magneto** in secret to develop a perfect serum that inhibited humans and turning them into **mutates** , "specters".

In the large basketball court-sized testing room, there was a giant titanium encasing where the subject would be locked into and where the serum would disperse in aerosol form. The room itself was darkened, with a few lights centered on the encasing itself.

Above, from the ceiling, was an observation room, where three individuals stood side-by-side as they watched the series of events unfold.

 **Taskmaster** , **Magneto** , and **Reaper** watched as they lowered an unsuspecting **Alejandro Cruz** into the encasing, knowing that this would mark a crucial moment. Reaper confirmed that Alejandro would survive the test and that it was vital they contain him after the experiment.

"It's a **shame** ," Taskmaster pointed out, " **Cruz** is one of the **best** agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. This experiment will… it will turn destroy all his hopes and dreams… his entire **life**."

"Sympathy for him, mercenary?" Magneto skeptically questioned.

"I'm merely asking **why** him?"

"That is above what you need to know," Reaper darkly remarked, "For now, let it suffice that **you** need to ensure that he doesn't escape. **S.H.I.E.L.D. must not** let him escape."

Taskmaster walked closer to the edge of the mirrored window that overlooked the experimentation that was taking place.

"Surely you both know the kind of man we're dealing with here, right?" he asked his superiors.

"More than you can possibly know," Reaper calmly answered.

"Then you know that he'll want **revenge** for what we're doing to him, right? If this goes as plan and he doesn't **die** , then we'll be creating one of the most powerful beings on the **planet**. When he finds out who did this to him…"

"The point is that he **won't** find out," Magneto quickly interjected, "For now, he sees this project as a **S.H.I.E.L.D.** effort. Who else will he have to blame except for **Nick Fury** and his gang of criminals?"

"This will have to be carefully pinned on them, then," Taskmaster concluded, "I assume **I** will have to be the one to plant the devices of deception?"

"At whatever cost," Reaper confirmed, "You are free to use whatever means necessary to convince him. But, I don't think it will come to that. If it works as planned, his mind won't be his own."

Suddenly, the experiment was starting, and they watched in silence as the man the world knew as **Alejandro Cruz** was being violently transformed into something else. The encasing shook and trembled as his screams of anguish filled the entire room and did not stop.

"Tell me," Taskmaster cut the silence, "Did you geniuses think to create an **antidote** for this?"

"And why should we?" Magneto inquired.

"It would only serve to benefit us **without** one," Reaper added.

"No," Taskmaster disagreed, "You don't have to fabricate one but at least have the ability to **create** one if need be. If this goes astray, you need to be able to reverse the effects of it in whatever form you can."

"Thank you for your input, mercenary, but that won't be necessary," Magneto assured him, "We'll take care of **any** attempt to create an antidote for this."

"Then, it **can't** be cured?"

"It can," Reaper answered, "But, for our benefit, it must **never** be cured."

* * *

Static buzzed through a radio frequency, broadcasting what sounded like a female news anchor.

"It was confirmed today that anthropologist and anti-mutant activist **Bolivar Trask** was found dead in his home earlier this morning. He apparently died from what appeared to be stab wounds in his abdomen, police confirm. An investigation has been underway while associates of Mr. Trask report that his plans for what could only be called the **Sentinel Project** have been stolen from his home. More news as the situation develops…"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey my dudes! i'm back from vacay-shun! well, for the time being lol! xD lots of work to do on my end. my semester's over but work is just startin back up. my technical certs expire next year so i'll be workin more shifts this summer as well as attending the online course to renew them. conclusively, i'll have to draw back on the number of updates I do for the story! =( i'll try to get one up by monday or next thursday but no guarantees, all i ask is to stay patient and good material will come ur way! =)

thanks for the support amigos! it means a lot to this humbled writer! i know this is a short chap, but it's pretty PIVOTAL as you guys can see, let me know what you think, where the direction is heading now, and what you guys expect to see in the future chapters. thanks again

\- jack montero


	32. Reality Jumpers

_**Reality Jumpers**_

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **The Eidolon**_ _…_

With hours still left in flight before the **Avengers** , the **Defenders** , the **X-Men** , and the **Underground** arrived back at **Alpha Base** , most of the heroes found themselves on-board the specter flag-ship, with a few of them in the medical bay, watching as **Vision** tended to **Wanda's** care alongside the female medic on-board.

 **Professor Xavier** and **Wolverine** watched them examine her from beyond the glass windows outside the medical bay. Charles was lost in thought, his hand perched underneath his chin, while Wolverine stood with his arms crossed, bold-faced.

They sensed subtle footsteps behind them and turned to see **Luke Cage** and **Frank Castle** approach them.

Logan nodded in greeting while the professor kept his gaze glued on the medical bay.

"How you boys holding up?" Frank calmly asked.

"As good as we can be, I guess," Wolverine darkly answered, "We almost back to Alpha Base?"

" **Almost** ," Luke repeated, "Just checking to make sure you guys were good. We heard it got **pretty bad** back at that camp y'all raided."

"' **P** **retty bad'** doesn't come close to what we witnessed," Xavier sadly remarked, "Atrocities that mirrored that of the **Holocaust** were committed there. How can S.H.I.E.L.D. think they can treat us that way?"

"This is **war** that they want," Logan angrily pointed out, "… and **humans** are the ones to blame."

" **Shit** , we're not all that bad," Frank resisted, "I never cared about what color people were. We all bleed the same, we all die the same. You can't group us all like that."

"…just as S.H.I.E.L.D. grouped **you** all the same," Luke concluded.

"They're **right** , Logan," Xavier concurred, "If we follow in **Erik's** footsteps, we'll only have more dead amongst us than living. We need **unity** with humanity. It's the only way we'll stop **S.H.I.E.L.D.**...and this **Reaper**."

"Well, I might not be smart about a lot of things that have to do with politics, but I don't think there's an acting government protecting the free world right now," Frank coolly pointed out, "It'll be the **victors** of this war that will decide the future."

"A **treaty** ," Xavier, in his moment of an epiphany, spoke out.

"Say what now?" Luke, puzzled, asked.

Wolverine's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing the word as well. Xavier turned his chair around to face the three of them all at once.

"We need a **treaty** that'll **guarantee** rights to mutants. It needs to underline new safeguards that protects mutantkind **and** humankind. If we are to prevail against the evils that plague the planet now, a **treaty must** be signed."

"And who will ratify it, Charles? The **UN**?" Wolverine skeptically asked, "We can sign a piece of paper all we want, doesn't mean anyone will follow it."

"They will if it's **mutant soldiers** fighting to free them from Reaper's grasp."

"You trust the humans that much? They're ignorant, Charles. They'll stop caring about us the moment things go back to normal. No offense, fellas."

"None taken," Frank assured him.

"They **will** listen, Logan. I **trust** them that much," Xavier affirmed, "Whether we want to admit it or not, the end of this war will mark the beginning of a **new age** of existence for every soul around the world."

Luke and Frank glanced at each other, knowing full well what the professor meant by it.

"Let's just hope we **live** long enough to see it, Charles."

* * *

 _Somewhere in_ _ **Manhattan**_ _…_

A barrage of laser-fire was unleashed upon a group of **Resistance** fighters from the cannons of a Cerberus-Class Reaper Sentinel, disintegrating an entire squad instantaneously while a battalion of Argos Sentinels attempted to outmaneuver and defeat the Resistance group trying to move a sizable number of civilians to another safe zone.

 **General Fury** directed his lieutenants and squad leaders forward as best he could, returning fire to cover his men as they attempted to make their way into a nearby subway tunnel, where they could temporarily route the attackers and make a better defense than out in the open.

"We're getting slaughtered out here, General!" one of his men shouted a few meters ahead, "There are **too many** of them!"

"Shut it, corporal! Keep pushing forward! We have a better chance of surviving if we push! They'll massacre us if we fall back now!"

"Yes, General!"

Fury was losing count of how many men were getting disintegrated or killed at the forefront of the skirmish. He was mostly preoccupied with ensuring the civilians were escorted to safety.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, a squad of his soldiers were able to entrench themselves in a defensive line, clearing a small path behind them through the debris into the subway tunnel.

"Come on! Let's go! Over there into that subway tunnel! It's your only chance to live!" Fury vigorously ordered the civilians.

They rushed over as fast as they could. Whole **hundreds** of civilians who didn't have the capacity to fight, covered by only a couple dozen of Fury's seasoned soldiers, all squirmed to get into the tunnel under laser-fire.

" **Ge-General**!" a voice croaked out.

Fury glanced over to see one of his soldiers reach towards him.

" **Captain Walker**!" Fury called out his name, rushing over to a masked soldier sitting against a slab of concrete behind the defensive line.

A thick beam of laser-fire had charred his chest, leaving him minutes before he asphyxiated from lack of oxygen. The soldier donned an American flag icon on his flak jacket with a familiar black silhouette that Fury recognized as **Captain America's**.

"I…I failed, sir,"

"Knock it off, **John**. We… we can still get you in the fight!" Fury assured him.

Captain **John Walker** coughed up a chuckle.

"Don't sugarcoat it, sir… I know I'm done. At least… at least I die… a **Patriot**. Give them hell...sir."

The soldier spoke his last breath with his final words, giving Fury a moment of pause to properly close his fallen soldier's open eyes.

While civilians continued to escape through the subway tunnel, a deafening metallic horn sounded off in the skies above. Fury looked up to see **Reaper's flag-ship** , _**Vengeance**_ , uncloak itself into view. It shined a bright light through the darkened streets onto the defensive line below.

" **Shit**!" Fury cursed, looking over at the civilians, " **Keep** running! Don't stop! Don't look up at it!"

He recognized **Maria** and her husband, **Fernand** , running with the last dozen or so civilians rushing towards the tunnel. Fury continued to order them to escape until he began to hear the faint sounds of **screaming** echo across the street, rippling through his head.

The sentinels ceased their laser-fire, giving the Resistance a moment to catch their breath. But, the moment wasn't long-lived.

A portal burst open through the space between the defensive line and the sentinels. A black hooded **Tombstone** marched out with his bone-like staff and beamed a violet-colored column of elemental energy at the Resistance, **crushing** the defensive line like insects.

The right and left flanks of the defensive line moved forward to try and place the Vanguard mutate into a vicegrip position, but from the portal, **Moros** launched out, swinging a large **sword** that eviscerated the squads on both ends within a manner of seconds in a shock-and-awe manner.

Fury lifted up his rifle and fired at the mutates, flanking the last of the civilians to buy them time to escape. The rounds ricocheted off the metallic armor plating of the mutates, unaffecting them in the slightest.

Before they reached the tunnel, a familiar presence emerged from the portal…

 **Reaper**.

He looked over at Fury and raised his left hand, revealing the **Reality Gem** , and utilizing it to alter the reality of his surroundings.

Fury's rifle suddenly turned into black liquid, staining his hands and his uniform. Without options, he turned to run into the tunnel with the rest of the civilians, but the entrance suddenly turned into a floor of concrete, cutting off Fury and a handful of civilians, including **Maria** and **Fernand**.

"Not so **fast** , **General** Fury," Reaper darkly spoke.

The general balled his fist and turned to face the Vanguard, keeping the civilians behind him.

Reaper slowly approached Fury, the subtle sounds of screaming growing louder and louder as he marched.

" **Reaper** ," Fury sternly greeted, "I don't think we've had a chance to meet yet."

This prompted the entity to laugh.

"Nicholas Fury. I can assure you that we're **very well** acquainted you and I. I used to work for you under **S.H.I.E.L.D.** so many years ago."

"I know. In an alternate timeline, correct?"

"You're **well-informed** ," Reaper noted, beginning to pace around Fury, glaring at the civilians around him.

"I know a lot about you, **Alejandro Cruz**."

"Invoke a name that means nothing to me anymore all you want, your perceived knowledge about me does not put you at an advantage, General Fury."

"Does it? What's your end goal here, then? You plan on turning us into your zombie horde, is that it? You're planning to ' **uplift** ' us, as though you're some sort of **messiah**?"

"What I offer is **salvation** through **transformation** , Fury. Your putrid race and your corrupted ideals has damned you all. At the expense of my **own people** , I see no other alternative than to bring humanity to the light and make them see the world through **our** eyes."

Reaper turned his back on Fury and looked up at the sky while he spoke to him, as though he was lost in his own vision of the future. Tombstone and Moros kept a close eye on Fury and the civilians regardless.

Fury scoffed.

"I think humanity should be free to choose our own destiny. We don't need a time-traveling alter-ego to try and force a decision upon us."

"Is that so?" Reaper skeptically asked, returning his red-eyed gaze upon the General.

"Then tell me, **Fury** , what **good** is your humanity? You kidnap each other and force one another into sexual slavery. You pollute this planet, use up its resources and butcher its life every day. Your young are taught to hate each other for harmless differences. Why, not even your **schools** are safe from your own hatred. You elect corrupt governments that care more about nuclear war than the welfare of your own impoverished and starving. No, Fury, you **all** have **lost** your right to choose."

"It's our **ability** to **choose** that helps us understand our mistakes," Fury countered.

"And how many mistakes must humanity make until it's too late? How many **apologies** must be given?"

Fury hesitated to answer, choosing to continue to stare down his adversary.

"That's what I thought," Reaper affirmed, placing hand on Fury's shoulder, "Rest assured, **old friend**. What I do, I do for the betterment of both mutants and humans alike."

Suddenly, someone spoke out from the crowd.

" **Fury**? Did you call him ' **Alejandro Cruz** '?"

Both Reaper and Fury looked over at **Maria Escobar** , slowly approach them. Fernand tried to hold her back, but she had broken away. Her business-attire was worn and faded from several weeks in the fight, but she was still holding strong. Her remarkable beauty didn't fade away despite all of it.

Before Fury could answer, Reaper spoke first.

" **Maria**?"

"H-How? How could this… this **monster** … be **Alejandro Cruz**?" she questioned, ignoring Reaper's greeting.

"He's from another time period, Maria. He…"

Reaper hushed Fury by shoving him down to the ground. Moros came up behind and held the blade of his sword at the General's neck.

"You are **forbidden** to answer, Fury," Reaper threatened, returning his gaze to Maria.

" **You**. You're **responsible** for all of this?"

"I **am** ," he darkly answered, "…and **you** are to blame for **my** actions."

"M-Me?"

Reaper nodded.

"Oh, if you only **knew** , my dear Maria, of all the pain and suffering you forced on me. You and my daughter **both** shattered my heart, forced me into a corner I couldn't escape, and caused me to **kill** you. The both of you," Reaper softly told her, caressing her cheek.

She violently slapped his gloved hand away in defiance.

"I don't know what happened in **your** time or **whatever** it was. I **loved MY** Alejandro. I gave him **everything**!"

"Did you?" Reaper asked, having glanced at Fernand, "You loved Alejandro enough to abandon his love for **that** man?"

She began to tear up.

"I thought he was **dead** ," she wept, "I **mourned** him for **years** , raising **his** daughter!"

"You **condemned** me as a **freak** of this world, Maria," he simply answered, " **Nothing** you say to me will make me sympathize for you."

"Please, just… just leave us alone!" Fernand finally spoke up, working his courage, "She's **my wife** and I won't allow you to touch or talk to her this way."

"Fernand, please!" Maria pleaded.

Reaper glared at him with a detesting **evil** in his eyes.

"Don't do it, **Cruz**!" Fury shouted from the ground, trying to reason with the murderous specter.

Fernand stood between Reaper and Maria, holding her back behind him.

The tension intensified until finally,

Reaper subtly chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Fernand questioned.

"You know, the Maria **I** was once in love with actually cheated on me with another man," Reaper explained, "…and his name was **Fernand**."

Without another word,

 **Reaper** plunged his sword straight through Fernand's chest, splattering his blood everywhere. Fernand's final expression was that of confusion, of pain, staring into **Reaper's** cold red eyes, before finally, he removed the blade.

" **Fernand**! **No**!" Maria cried, rushing down to his aid, "You **son-of-a-bitch**!"

"Phantom should **thank me** ," Reaper merely told her, "I did what he didn't have the **courage** to do two years ago."

"Fernand, please! Wake up! No… No, no, no!"

She continued to cry, pressing her forehead against her deceased husband's, looking up at Reaper.

"He was a **good man** , **asshole**! He didn't have to die! Why couldn't it be me?!"

She stood up and rushed at Reaper to try and tackle him, but he vanished into thin air, and appeared behind her once she realized he had disappeared. As she turned, he gripped her throat with his right hand and raised her up from the ground. She struggled to breathe, frantically grabbing his bracer.

"…Because I **need you** to bring me **Phantom** , so that I can break his heart **one more time** before I kill you **again**. But, **this time** , I'm going to end your life **nice** and **slow**."

Maria's expression was that of pure **horror** and **anguish** , unable to speak or breathe. Finally, Reaper threw her down at Tombstone's feet, knocking her out.

He placed his gaze onto the rest of the civilians, menacingly staring them down until he unleashed the **full power** of his electrical powers on them, murdering the whole lot of them with one single whip of his hands. When he finished, only piles of dust remained of them.

"Ah, that felt **good** ," he briefly murmured.

"My lord, what about **him**?" Moros questioned, referring to **Fury**.

Reaper walked over and knelt next to the General.

"This **cat and mouse** game is **over** , Fury. I'm **done** playing the cat," Reaper whispered to him, "It has been an **honor** to hunt you down like the pathetic human you are. Don't worry, the rest of your **Resistance** will fall without you now."

Fury simply stared back at Reaper with the hardest look he had ever given anyone, one that truly showed just how bloodthirsty Fury was to kill Reaper.

"Take him down the street and impale him on one of the street lights. Show the rest of the Resistance that their mighty 'General' has **fallen** ," he finally ordered.

"With **pleasure** , master."

Moros withdrew his sword and grabbed Fury up by his collar, dragging him away. Reaper looked back at Tombstone and gestured for him to open a portal back to his flag-ship.

Fury saw Reaper and Tombstone disappear beyond the portal. He struggled to stay on his feet while Moros approached a standing light-pole on the edges of the street. He slammed Fury down to the ground to keep him from running away while he chopped off the pole to sharpen it.

In those critical seconds while Moros had his back turned, Fury patted his flak jacket to see if he had anything that could save his life.

He had run out of bullets and grenades, no pistol, no secret weapons…

But, finally, he found his only chance of survival…

Moros turned around and grabbed Fury by the collar, smiling underneath his Ox-like helmet and turning to the light-pole, ready to raise Fury up and impale him.

"Any last words, **General Fury**?"

"Just one," Nick stated as he twirled his hand, " **Motherfucker** ,"

Too fast for Moros to see, Fury swung his hand and stabbed Moros in the crease of his armor, through the mutate's collarbone. Moros cried out in pain, dropping Fury and giving the General enough time to sprint away.

"Argh! No!" Moros shouted, " **Sentinels**! **After him**!"

The battalion of Argos Sentinels reactivated and began running behind Fury, past Moros. The Vanguard mutate reached over and grabbed the combat knife out of his collarbone and looked down on it. It was made of **Vibranium** with the symbol of **Wakanda** engraved on the side of the blade.

All Fury could think as he sprinted away out of sight was how fortunate he was to be gifted a vibranium blade by **King T'Challa**.

* * *

 _Back at the_ _ **Archive**_ _…_

Phantom held his daughter in his arms for what seemed like a lifetime summed up in brief moments over the mental connection. For Selena, it felt the same. For as many Phantoms she met throughout the multiverse, it was this reality where her true father was.

The silent moment was swiftly cut by Nova.

" **Ava**?! Holy shit, is that you?!"

" **S-Sam**?!"

Nova glided over and hugged his old teammate as hard as he could. Phantom let go of Selena as they turned their attention to them.

"Jesus, Ava. I never thought I'd see **you** again! Holy hell!"

"It's good to see you too, Sam!"

As they let go, Nova glanced over and saw Peter's unconscious self lying down.

"Whoa! What happened to web-head?!"

"Eh… **long story** ," Ava nervously answered.

The rest of **Specter Haven** greeted Ava as well as Phantasm, who more formally introduced them to their escort, **Grey Ghost**. Fox suggested that Phantom go talk to his daughter alone while they radioed back to the _**Milano**_ to let Star-Lord know that they were okay. In the process, **Rocket** and **Groot** stumbled on the facility's old back-up generators, returning The Archive back to full-functionality.

Phantom and Phantasm slowly walked down one of the corridors with glass windows on both sides overlooking abandoned labs and workshops. An awkward silence passed between them for a few moments before they decided to talk again.

"You have **no idea** how great it is to see you again, **Selena** ," he kindly told her, "After what happened two years ago, I thought I had lost you for good."

" **No** , not **lost** per say. Wren and I both did a lot of exploring in other realities, dad."

"I know. **Deadpool** and **Cable** both told me that **Reaper** was doing his own form of reality-jumping."

"So, you know about the multiverse, then?" Selena curiously asked.

"Somewhat."

As they continued to walk through, she explained to him that they had stumbled into the multiverse on accident when they were trying to escape the flying asteroid two years ago. Her ability to create portals allowed her and Wren to walk into different timelines, cutting through **space and time** without a whim. Adversely, however, she never learned how to control it or **choose** the right timeline to jump to.

"So, it was **luck** that we ended up back here," she explained.

Phantom kept his gaze on her as they walked into what appeared to be an observation deck overlooking a large server room.

"I don't understand. **How** did you guys know this was the right reality?"

"Wren and I have time-jumped so many times, dad. I've honestly lost count. We ran into another reality-jumper named **Drifter** who explained to us how to distinguish the differences in realities. It's a long story, but he eventually gave us a device to help us **'map'** all the events in a particular reality and go from there. I know that might seem a little confusing… but."

"I think I understand."

"Man, you should see it, dad. There are **millions** of alternate realities, it's amazing. We went to one, I think it was **Earth-2149**? Where all the superheroes were **zombies**! Can you believe that?!"

"That's hard to imagine. Did you run into Cable or Deadpool at all in your trips?"

"No, we were too busy trying to find **this** reality to really bother with those two. But, I know that they jumped time far enough to alter the timelines, stepping into different realities all together."

"What about Reaper?"

"Ah, your **infamous** alter-ego. You know, he's pretty murderous, dad," she humorously pointed out.

"You don't say…"

She sarcastically chuckled.

"So, **Reaper** , Earth-715's ' **Phantom** ', is a **Revenant**."

"A what?"

"Oops. Let me back-track. So, **after** we met **Drifter** , we stumbled into an entity known as the **One-Above-All** , who Wren and I believe is the creator of the multiverse."

"You mean… **God**?" he skeptically asked.

" **Sure** , you can call him that, I guess. Anyway, we stumbled into him on accident, as one of my portals had ripped into three different realities, causing a pretty badass vortex that nearly destroyed those three universes. Long story short, and a major ass-whupping later, we come face-to-face with this old guy. He had these sunglasses, white hair, white mustache, and was **uber** eccentric. He greets us with this whole ' **excelsior** ' saying and asks us what we thought we were doing."

"Why does he sound vaguely familiar?"

"…So, I told him what was going on, who we were and he finally remembered what was going on in our little corner of the multiverse. Turns out, **he** had helped **Spidey** through the spectral plane in Reaper's… **Dream Nexus**?"

"Go on…"

"And then he went to explain how **Reaper** is a **Revenant**. So are **you** ," she concluded, stopping in their tracks and looking at her father directly.

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not actually sure, dad. The One-Above-All described revenants as anomalies in the multiverse. They have the ability to transcend the reality in their timelines and create time loops throughout. He said Earth-715's Phantom was one of his more powerful **Revenants** , who's eluded his understanding. Everything changed when he acquired the **Reality** and **Power Gems** , and he's been messing things up ever since."

Phantom took a seat at nearby bench overlooking the server room next to a trashed pile of debris. He took a moment to take in everything Selena was explaining to him, trying to figure it all out, trying to make sense of this.

"I know what you're thinking. Trust me, I'm still lost about it too," Selena consoled him, sitting next to him.

"And so, what happens to **us** then, Selena?"

"I don't know," she solemnly answered, "Dad… Reaper's killed every Phantom in several other realities for two years now. He's succeeded **so many** times… so that he can come to **Earth-0819** , this one, and **kill you**."

"But, **why** me?"

"Because you're a **Revenant**."

"But, how?! I haven't done **anything** of note, Selena. What have I done that has been worthy of a Revenant, as you described it?!" he sternly asked, standing up as he did so.

She stood up with him.

"Think about it, dad. Reaper came into this reality **not knowing** any other timeline other than **his own**. You're the **only Phantom** that **never** gave in to your hate. No matter **how hard** he tried to subject you to it, you **resisted** , and you chose to **protect people** , sacrificing your life multiple times to do so. That's the other thing the **One-Above-All** pointed out…"

"What?"

"There's always **two** Revenants. One always strives to **destroy all life** in a universe, while the other fights to **preserve** it."

Phantom realized now what she was saying.

"So, does that mean I can kill him?"

"That's the **bad news**."

"Wait, what?!" he questioned, "How is any of this **good news**?!"

"See, dad, Revenants continue to exist until one performs what's called a **unity**. The One-Above-All described it as two entities coming together and uniting under one single entity. The problem with the unity is that once it's performed, both Revenants will cease to exist and erase all life in the universe they find themselves in. Without a unity, you both can fight each other all day long, but all you'll do is weaken one another. **Never win**."

His eyes widened.

"So, there's no hope then?"

She laughed.

"There's **always** hope, dad. You've **got me**."

"True, but…"

"But, nothing. See, here's something **Reaper hasn't** done. He's **never** defeated a reality that had **another Phantasm**. I'm the **only one** in the multiverse. Hard to believe, right?!"

* * *

 _In the Medical Bay…_

"Here are some clothes we've packed," Wren told Ava, handing her some fatigues, "They're **clean** , don't worry. There **should** be a shower unit in the med bay near the back. We'll be here a bit, so you can clean up."

"Thanks, I was getting tired of being half-naked and running around barefoot in the jungle."

"Hey, you still look **good** , girl," Firewalker assured her, prompting a hard **knock** on his head from Wolfe.

" **Idiot**."

Ava walked towards the back of the medical bay, where the shower unit was. Luckily for her, the inside of the compartment remained clean while the outside was overgrown with vines from the outside. It was still operational, so she stepped in and activated it.

"What do you guys think Selena is telling Phantom?" Fox curiously asked.

"Everything that's been going on with **us** for the past two years," Wren politely answered, "Reality-jumping is physically and mentally **exhausting** , let me tell you."

"So, it's true. There are other realities."

" **Millions**. Most of them are the same. Sometimes the smallest change in a reality is a simple act or decision that changed the course of history forever. Sometimes it's **major** , where you live in a world dominated by dogmen."

"That sounds pretty weird, yo," Firewalker commented.

"Trust me," Wren told him, "We have seen **some shit**."

"What small changes that changed history have you both seen?" Wolfe curiously asked.

"Well, we went into one reality where the **Union lost** the **American Civil War**. It was… interesting."

"Were **blacks** still enslaved?" Firewalker eagerly asked.

"Yes and no. The Confederacy was beginning to fall apart at the beginning of the 20th century. The nation eventually destroyed itself as states seceded into various factions and coalitions. That was hectic."

"What else?" Wolfe continued to ask.

"Well, more recently, we witnessed the incumbent president of the country launch nuclear missiles first at Russia over some misunderstanding, I think? It sparked WWIII which lasted **days** before the entire world was reduced to ashes following the nuclear war. It was **very scary** ," Wren explained.

"We left before the nukes flew and returned **centuries afterward**. Time moves differently in different realities, you see. By then, the survivors created peaceful and harmonious factions and chiefdoms and began the groundwork for the next major civilization. It was inspiring, honestly."

"Sounds like you guys have seen a lot then," Fox commented.

"We've basically read the same story in different variations, pretty much," Wren concurred, "There was **one** reality where we met another guy **just like Phantom**. I think his name was **Zero**? Or something like that?"

"Bet he wasn't so tough," Firewalker laughed.

" **No** , he was **pretty** dangerous," Wren corrected him.

"Oh… So, riddle me **this** then, is there **any** big bad out there **worse** than **Reaper**?" Firewalker then brought up.

" **Plenty** ," Wren affirmed, "We just haven't seen them surface in **this** reality **yet**. Since the **Infinity Gems** are currently **here** , in **this reality** , my only fear is that **He** might surface here to perform another **Infinity Event**."

"Who?" Fox worriedly asked, "An Infinity Event?"

Wren chuckled.

"Don't worry, he's of no concern for now. Reaper is still your 'big bad' at the moment. Besides, I **highly doubt** the **Mad Titan** will show up here anytime soon to contend with a guy like Reaper."


	33. Truths Revealed

_**Truths Revealed**_

* * *

 _In the war-torn streets of_ _ **Manhattan**_ _…_

 **General Fury** ran as fast as he could, hurdling over downed vehicles and debris, all while dodging and taking cover from laser-fire shot by the fast-approaching Argos Sentinels behind him. He tried to contact the nearby **Resistance** patrols to see if he could get some back-up, but his radio wasn't picking up any nearby signals.

" **Shit**!" he cursed, running into an abandoned food market to catch his breath.

He slammed the doors shut and pushed carts and boxes against the entrance to keep the sentinels at bay. Igniting his flashlight, he trekked through the pitch-black aisles of the grocery store to try and find a hardline in the back he could send a message out from.

Suddenly, his radio was beginning to transmit garble. Distorted voices were calling out for his name. He recognized one of the voices as one of his lieutenants in the rear group that followed his.

" **Lieutenant** , are you there?!"

The radio remained silent, forcing a sigh out of the tired general.

He could hear the mechanical footsteps of the sentinels run by the store, pausing for a moment, before resuming their hunt through the streets.

With a sigh of relief, Fury checked his watch.

 **03:07**

"Daybreak in a few hours. There **must** be some way to get back to the **Resistance** ," he thought aloud.

His first priority was to find a weapon. He wouldn't last long if he couldn't defend himself and he was **still** trying to get the black stains from his liquefied rifle off his arms. Using his flashlight, he started looking around the food market for **something**.

While he did so, he began to think about his encounter with **Reaper**.

"…the ability to alter reality as he sees fit," he chuckled to himself, "Jesus. It was easier when the bad guys were just religious zealots. We're practically fighting with **gods**."

A nauseating stench attacked his senses as he approached the vegetable aisles. To his horror, he came face with piles of mangled bodies and bloodstained and spoiled foods torn and scattered all around them. Maggots had begun to form on the decomposing bodies.

No doubt, it was the aftermath of the feasting from the **Wraiths**.

"Dear God," he gasped, covering his nose.

He softened his trek to a slow step through the aisle, keeping a sharp eye out for any movement beyond the darkness of the market.

From what his troops had gathered on the zombie-like mutates, they were completely irrational and attacked anything that was human on sight. They preferred dark places naturally while their mutation had allowed for them to be controlled by the sentinel units with relative ease. While they weren't being controlled, they **stalked** the streets, the sewers, and the subway tunnels sniffing out any scent of human blood.

They were relatively easy to kill off, but they were rarely found alone, usually travelling in packs, led by an **Alpha-Wraith** whose mutation made their muscles grow exponentially larger and made them far more violent than the others.

He made it to a utility room and found a grate that led to an access tunnel beneath the streets. Using a multi-tool to pick the lock off the grate, he jumped down to the access tunnel and began making his way through it. With luck, he hoped it would lead him to a marked **Resistance** enclave and find safety through there.

"I can't believe that bastard **killed** Maria's husband. **Damn it** , poor Maria. I wonder what kind of **hell** he's putting her through."

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

Reaper sat, staring at **Maria** inside a torture chamber inside the flag-ship. He had her tied by her wrists and ankles on a circular wheel facing vertically. She was still unconscious from earlier, but he waited patiently, sensing the confusion and anxiety within herself. His gaze shifted from her face to the rest of her body.

He had stripped her down so that she could feel more vulnerable while at his mercy. But, also because he felt **curious** about her. Maria was the last woman he had ever made love to, and so his curiosity pressed him to gaze upon a beauty his once valued as his own.

Slowly, she began to wake up, opening her eyes to look directly at him. Once realizing her predicament, her expression was of pure horror, attempting to shake herself from her restraints.

"Comfortable?" he politely asked her.

"Let me **go** , **right now**!"

He chuckled.

"Why does **every prisoner** say that? I find the human mind so fascinating when it's faced in these kinds of situations. Their first instinct is to **demand**. They seem to believe that they are entitled to fundamental 'rights' as a prisoner. Rights that, unfortunately for **you** , do not exist."

" **Please** … please let me go," her tone softened, "I… I don't know **why** you've got me like this but…"

"I've **already** told you **why** , Maria," he sharply answered, "But, don't worry. Until Phantom returns to face me once again, I do not plan to hurt you, or impose myself on you."

She looked down, trying to continuously force herself out of her restraints.

"There must be **some** reason you have me like **this**!"

"You are vulnerable, my dear," he softly informed her, caressing her side, "As well, it's been a **long time** since I saw you in this fashion, so many years ago."

"Don't **touch** me!"

He swiftly removed his hand.

"As you wish. Furthermore, I'd like to know **where** the locations of the hidden Resistance enclaves are. Surely, as one of their protected civilians, you've seen them?"

She looked at him then looked away, trying not to answer.

"I…I don't remember where they were."

"It won't benefit you to **lie** to me, Maria. If I so wanted to, I could touch you with my bare hand and search through your mind for the answers. But, I'm giving you the respect of **asking** ," he politely assured her.

"But, you'll **kill them**. And so far, they're the only people trying to stop you!"

"And you **really** believe they'll succeed?" he chuckled, returning to his seat and looking back at her.

"I do. I've seen a lot of evil in this world, Alejandro. Evil will always lose to people willing to stand up and fight it."

"Do you believe this world to truly be that **black** and **white** , Maria? My methods may be extreme but I'm doing all this to preserve this planet and all of those living on it. You heard what I told General Fury back down on the street. You humans are a stain waiting to be cleansed."

"Weren't you once human too? Aren't you still?" she bravely asked.

"Once. A long time ago," he solemnly answered, "But, that was before I was granted these **gifts**."

A reddish electric spark pulsated through his bracers as he displayed them to her.

"You and **Selena** both branded me a freak after I was cured of my physical ailments. I worked **so hard** to give you both a future, but nobody wanted to hire a **mutate**. Why would they? All you did was ridicule me, curse me, and forced my own daughter against me."

Maria listened, attentively, as Reaper spoke to her, reliving in his own mind, everything that had happened to him.

"…I loved you **so much**. I thought… at the end of the day, **at least** I still had a wife and daughter who I thought believed in me. But, you never did, Maria. You never did. Your infidelity was the last straw."

A black tear slid down his face beneath his helmet.

Slowly, he removed the crowned helmet, which was made from **Magneto's** helmet and **Taskmaster's** mask, and revealed his true face to Maria. His skin was a deathly shade of grey while his hair was long and black. His beard had grown fully around his jawline, chin, and mouth. And his eyes were voided of irises and were simply bright and glowing red.

He placed the helmet down on the floor and stood back up and approached her.

Her heart sank having seen what he had become. It was truly **Alejandro Cruz** , but some sick and lifeless iteration of the man she once loved.

"Alejandro," she gasped, tears lining her eyes.

" **This** is what I've become, Maria. This is because of **you**!" he sharply raised his voice.

"No!" she cried, "I… I didn't mean to… I…"

He stopped less than a foot away from her, glaring at her with nothing but **hate** in his eyes. He stared as tears slid down her face as she shook from a mixture of fear and sadness.

"I… I never meant to stop loving him," she sniveled, referring to **her** Alejandro, "I thought he was **dead**. I mourned for years with a little girl to care for. Please, you've got to understand… **Fernand** is… **was** … the only man who cared for me after Alejandro. He helped me raise Selena, give her a good home. I couldn't afford to on my own. Please… you've **got** to understand. I meant for **none** of this to happen!"

"So, you **sold yourself** for **her**?"

"No!" she retorted, "I loved another man so that she could have a **normal life**! It's all Alejandro ever wanted! But, I've lost her… I lost the **both** of them. I lost **Fernand**. I… I have **nothing** left."

"Except your **soul** ," he darkly added, returning to his seat and picking up his helmet.

"If I could, I'd give it up so that things can return to normal," she sadly remarked.

He lifted the helmet and replaced it on his head, staring back at her.

"Don't worry, my dear. Soon enough, you **will**."

With that, Reaper left Maria alone inside the darkened torture chamber and approached the bridge, where **Tombstone** stood, holding his staff with both hands clasped down the middle, and monitoring as the sun slowly rose on Manhattan.

Reaper glanced over and saw **Moros** nervously approach him.

"My m-master."

" **Moros**. I trust you made an example out of General Fury?"

"Yeah… about that, my lord. He… He, uhm… he got **away**."

Rage and anger suddenly surged through Reaper's veins. He closed his eyes to calm himself and opened them back up.

"You want to run that by me again, Moros?"

He slowly approached the Vanguard mutate, forcing Moros to slowly step back in terror.

"He was a sly devil, my l-lord. I was ready to impale him as you instructed and he… he pulled out a knife and jabbed it right in my collarbone here, see?"

Tombstone glanced over at the scene.

"You. Let. Him. Go?" Reaper reiterated.

Without another word to describe his failure, Moros simply nodded.

Reaper let out a subtle sigh, doing everything in his power to **not** to kill his most trusted of his Vanguard.

"Have you begun searching for him?" he then calmly asked.

"Y-Yes, my lord! I've every sentinel within the district and surrounding districts looking for him! He was a fast one! You should've seen him!"

"I see," Reaper answered, "Well, notify me once you do catch him. Kill on sight. Understood?"

"Yes, my lord! Thank you!"

Without another word, Reaper retired to his throne room to **meditate**.

Moros took a moment to sigh a sigh of relief after almost being certain Reaper was going to slice his head clean off. He glanced over at Tombstone who simply pointed at him and gestured a knife slicing his throat.

"Shut up, **Tombstone**. Learn how to speak, why don't you?"

* * *

 _Back at the_ _ **Archive**_ _…_

Wren escorted the others to the mess-hall of the Archive, where they met up with **Groot** , **Rocket** , **Star-Lord** , **Drax** , and **Gamora** after they landed the ship on the hangar deck. While Selena and her father continued to converse in other parts of the facility, Wren opened his pack and began cooking up a meal for them using what ingredients he had and whatever was still usable in the mess hall's kitchens.

They all sat around one of the rectangular cafeteria-style tables to talk. The only one who wasn't there was **Peter** , who was still resting in the medical bay, with **Wolfe** keeping an eye on him.

"Everyone's jumped ship and headed back to **Alpha Base** , by the way," Star-Lord mentioned to the crew, "They're going to be waiting on **us** back there."

"They can wait," Gamora interjected, "It's not like there's a pressing matter back there. **R.O.G.U.E.** has already begun liberating the concentration camps with mutants. We need to finish what we came here to do."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ava questioned.

 **Sam** filled her in as to what was going on in the past two years, with **S.H.I.E.L.D.** having begun a Holocaust-like campaign against mutants world-wide, kidnapping them, imprisoning them, experimenting on them, and effectively killing them off in the hundreds. He added that it was revealed that **Kraven** was behind the kidnappings within **South America** as **S.H.I.E.L.D.** entrenched itself into Brazil, the haven of mutants across the world.

"That explains **a lot** ," Ava simply observed.

"That's only the tip of the iceberg," Rocket added, "Pile that on with the world going to shit from **Reaper's** invasion, then you've got a planet ready to become a pile of **dust**."

"How did **you** guys end up here, then?"

" **Nova** said you guys needed help and it's not like we had anything else **better** to do," Star-Lord sarcastically answered.

"I am Groot."

"We want **Reaper's Infinity Gems** ," Rocket blurted out, "We've got **one HUGE** reason why we want them tucked away."

"I **bet** ," Wren commented from the kitchen.

Gamora rolled her eyes.

"Well, I see," Ava answered, glancing over at Sam, " **You've** grown from the last time we saw each other, Alexander."

"Damn, Ava. **Two years** and that's what you're going to tell me?"

"She's right, **buckethead**. She's talking about that pathetic excuse of a beard you've got going on," Rocket joked.

Sam nervously ran his hand through his beard.

"It doesn't look **that** bad, does it?"

"Is it normal for humans to worry about facial hair?" Drax inquired, "On **my** planet, you are not considered a man until your body has been scarred by the trials of battle and your skin drenched in the blood of your enemies."

"Nobody **cares** , Drax," Rocket murmured.

"Y'all leave my boy alone," Firewalker humorously interjected, "Sam's just trying to be his own dude! His **own** man!"

" **Anyway** ," Sam ignored them, "How have **you** been, Ava?"

She told them all what was going on with her the last two years. She explained how she escaped from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s grasp and went into hiding there in **Brazil** , picking up jobs where she could to lay low, adding how she thought about **Peter** a lot.

"Trust us. He's been thinking about you ever since we met back up with the boy," Firewalker informed her.

"Really?"

"He ran after you for a reason," Fox assured her, "His heart is still yours."

Ava slightly blushed, trying hard not to reveal that she was ecstatic about hearing that. The others noticed anyway, and they all smiled.

"That's… **great** to hear."

"Yeah, yeah. You two can **screw** once he recovers once we get back to Alpha Base," Sam remarked.

She simply gave him a menacing stare.

Wren returned with a tray of small bowls with a brownish stew. It had traces of vegetables in it and didn't smell half-bad.

"Eat up. Once we're done here, we can follow you guys back to your base of operations," Wren affirmed to them.

"What are you guys doing, exactly?" Star-Lord inquired.

"There's something here that will benefit us in our fight against **Reaper** ," Wren answered, taking a seat next to them, "We've weighed the outcomes from other timelines and we've yet to try it using this."

"What is it?" Rocket curiously asked, slurping up the bowl.

The others began slurping it down too. Drax approving of the taste.

"If she finds it. I'll tell you guys."

Fox glanced over at the empty corridors that followed out of the messhall and towards the direction where **Selena** and **Phantom** had walked off, closer towards the main server room.

"Um. I'm going to check on them," Fox told them as she stood up and walked out of the cafeteria.

"Uh, I'll go check on **Peter** ," Ava also excused herself, picking up a bowl for **Wolfe** to eat.

Wren sipped on his bowl as he watched the two of them leave.

" **Bah** , who needs 'em?" Rocket grunted, "So, tell us **Grey Ghost** , what other stuff did you see in the **multiverse** , eh?"

Wren chuckled.

"Let me tell you about the time we ended up in the **Duckverse** …"

* * *

 _Inside the_ _ **Archive Server Room**_ _…_

Phantom recognized the giant server room that he once entered two years back to gain files on **Project Vitruvian** when he was liberated by **Taskmaster** and his mercenaries. The room had collected a lot of dust and had been partially overgrown, with a few of the auxiliary servers damaged from the overgrowth.

He watched **Selena** furiously type away at the main computer that connected the servers together, which collectively held the once vital secrets of **S.H.I.E.L.D.**

"Selena, I thought that S.H.I.E.L.D. pulled these files **off** these servers years back?" Phantom inquired, remembering what Fury had told him years back.

She shook her head.

"They pulled the files **they** needed. Not files that were considered defunct and declassified. They left it here to rot, along with the rest of this place," she answered, keeping her eyes glued to the screen.

"Well, then **how** is it that you know so much about **The Archive**? This place has been abandoned for years."

"Wren and I visited this place multiple times in other universes, dad."

"Oh, **right** ," he stumbled.

She ignored him, murmuring to herself with every file she scanned through on the monitor.

"What is it that you're looking for there, Selena? I scrubbed the computer myself years ago, there was **nothing** there of note."

"I'll tell you if I find it, dad. I'm not **100%** sure if the file exists in **this** universe, there's no use getting our hopes up," she irritably answered.

"What is it?"

She sighed, stopping herself and turning to look at him.

"A scientist actually **found** a cure for the **Vitruvian Destiny**. Well, **somewhat** of a cure, anyway. It reverses the physical effects of the serum and stabilizes the vanishing ability as well as your psychic powers. How else do you think **Reaper** was cured in **his** timeline?"

This came to a shock to Phantom, as he didn't realize that there was truly a cure. He had overlooked it when Reaper revealed it to him years back on **Island M** , but he realized that there was now **hope** for him.

"A cure you say?" he eagerly asked, approaching her closer.

"Now, now. Don't get started, dad. It doesn't **completely** return you to normal, but it makes you look **human** , at least, without all the physical scarring."

"Who created it?"

"I don't know, actually. There were several scientists who worked on it across the multiverse, at varying stages of your imprisonment and progress into the **Phantom**. It was hard to pinpoint a true cure. But, from what I understood, **this** tips the scales in **our** favor."

"How'd you figure that?" he skeptically asked.

" **Taskmaster** worked on chemical dispersing machines back when he imprisoned **Fury** with **Deadpool** at his side. Those machines were meant to repel the effects of the **Vitruvian Destiny** when Reaper began his invasion of Earth. His only problem was that there wasn't a viable **cure** to counteract the **Wraiths**. After he realized the mistake he had made working with the likes of Reaper and Magneto, he tried to prepare himself for the next encounter," she explained.

"…I **know**. He fought Reaper alongside me on the final fight of **Island M**. Reaper killed him."

Selena frowned.

"Anthony Masters was **a lot** of things, dad. He was a murderer, a fiend, and a ruthless mercenary. But, in the end, he **knew** that what they were doing was **wrong**. I like to think he regretted his hand in what he did to you. What he did was purely against **S.H.I.E.L.D.** for the injustices **he knew** they were capable of committing."

Silence resumed after those words. Phantom allowed her to continue searching for the files while he leaned up against a server rack, watching his daughter.

Frustrated, she removed her mask and her hood, slamming the mask with ferocity against the keyboard. After one quick sigh, she resumed searching.

"Maybe it's under ' **Vitruvian 2.0** '? No, no… that couldn't be it…" she murmured.

"You know, you look **so much** like your mother," he calmly pointed out, "you inherited your beauty."

She blushed.

"She used to tell me I inherited your resolve and determination. She would tell me stories of you before I went to sleep when I was a little kid."

"Like what?" he curiously asked.

"Like how you guys met when she was a bartender, how you were a Marine, how you saved her from a bunch of thugs who tried to hurt her. She always reminisced on how deep in love the two of you were. I always wondered about you."

He subtly sighed.

He thought he was over what had happened to him for so many years. Nothing turned his world upside down more than finding out that he had fathered a daughter, who grew up without him. No matter how much he wanted to tell himself that **Alejandro Cruz** was dead and that he lived his life on his own principles, he couldn't escape the fact that he was a father.

He couldn't escape the undying love he had for his daughter.

And it brought a tear to his eye.

"Selena," he called out to her.

She stopped to turn and look at him.

"I'm **almost** there, dad, I promise. I think I know where it is."

"I don't care about that right now, honey."

He slowly approached her.

"But, **dad**. This is the cure you've been looking for your entire life!"

He fought back the tears in his eyes.

"Selena. I… I have lived my life with **so many** regrets. There is not a day that goes by where I don't remember **each** mistake I've committed. The biggest regret I've ever committed… was never being there for you or your mother. You deserved a father. And, I understand Fernand was there but… **I** wanted to be the father I **swore** I'd be for my children… and I **failed**."

She faintly smiled.

"Dad, you didn't fail **anyone**. I got to know you as a person through so many of your alternate egos. You're a **good person** at heart."

"Selena, but they aren't **me**. **I'm** your father. In **this** reality. **This** timeline. Damned what the multiverse thinks. I'm… I just want to say I'm sorry for never being there, as I should've been."

"None of this is your fault, dad. It was out of your control. I can **never** fault you for all this. Besides, we're **so close** to the end of all this, dad! We'll get to Reaper and banish him to another dimension once and for all, **without** the **Reality Gem** , where he'll stay trapped **forever**."

"I guess we can hope so, sweetie."

"No **hope** , dad. I **know** so. With this cure, I **know** we will. Like I said, it's **that** important. It'll finally grant you what you've been looking for all these years, dad."

"That's where you're **wrong** , Selena," his voice grew hoarse, as tears streamed down his mask.

"… All I ever sought for was **you**."

Tears glistened her own eyes as she heard him speak.

" **Daddy** …"

She hugged him, tightly as she ever could. He held her tight in his arms, not letting go of her. For all the pain and suffering he had endured, as Alejandro Cruz and as the Phantom, he found a shred of peace, even at the end of the world, that he was with his daughter again. And for all the evil he fought to remove from the world…

Selena was the one **good** thing he added to it.

From afar, **Fox** watched the father and daughter embrace, having heard the whole exchange. She smiled, seeing the man she held such high feelings for finally resolve the issue he had to be with his daughter.

Suddenly, the computer dinged. Selena softly let go of her dad to glance back at the computer to see what it had said.

 **FILE FOUND**

* * *

 _In the Medical Bay…_

Ava walked through the doors of the medical bay to see **Peter** still resting, unconscious, on one of the cots. **Wolfe** fixed his yellow eyes on her as she entered. He was sitting down on one of the chairs in the far side of the room with his rifle in his paw-like hands on his lap. His temporary expression of surprise quickly warmed up when he saw it was her.

He stood up to greet her, towering over her.

"It's **good** to see you again, little pup," he warmly greeted.

"And **you** as well, Wolfe. Here, I brought you a stew that Wren cooked up."

She handed him the bowl to which he proceeded to profusely sniff. He seemed slightly disgusted by it but he began to calmly slurp it as he stood up. She giggled to see him slurp it up as though he were a dog.

"How's Pete holding up?"

"He's a man to the core, I'll give him that. He's still holding up," he assured her, "Still worried about him?"

" **Very**. I almost killed him, Wolfe."

"Bah. I should tell you about the time my wife almost shot my head clean off after she thought I was running around with some tramp behind her back. **She** almost killed **me** that day. What you did to our spider friend here was just a few scratches is all."

"It seemed worse than that," she anxiously replied, sitting down next to Peter.

Wolfe finished the bowl and placed it aside, resuming his seat and watching as Ava stared at Peter, lost in her thoughts.

"The boy missed you a lot, you know? You were in his thoughts since the day we met back up with him."

"And I thought about him a lot **too**. Every single day. I thought I had lost him for good."

"Love is never really lost, is it?" he inquired, "love is one of those soft things people take for granted. At the end of the day, love is the only thing worth **dying** for."

"You loved your wife and daughter in the same manner too, no?" she wondered.

"Like no other," he solemnly answered, "My wife was the **only** woman in the world who never put up with my shit. God, it drove me **insane**. I threatened leaving her all the time. But, something kept me from turning on the ignition to my truck every time I thought I'd be gone for good. I loved that woman for who she was, for everything she did for me. For giving me my baby girl…"

Wolfe seemed to croak up a bit.

"I'm sorry, **Wolfe** , I didn't mean to bring it up."

"No, no, little pup, don't say sorry for **that** ," he assured her, "Let me tell you something. I don't know how you feel about **spider** these days. Maybe you love him still, maybe you don't. But even still, **never ever** regret falling in love with someone. Love is the single most powerful thing in this fucked up world."

"I'm just afraid of hurting him again," she softly brought up, "I'm afraid of **losing** him again."

"So long as you let him know how much you love him, you'll never really lose it, little pup."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Like I said, **love is never really lost**."

She felt a little better hearing Wolfe tell her these things. He seemed to smile through his white beard upon seeing her spirits lift from his wise words.

"Thanks, Wolfe. I never really thought of you as an advice-giver."

"Bah, just don't bring it up to the other bastards," he shrugged.

"How are things going with **Specter Haven**? With Fox, Phantom, and Firewalker?"

"The team is doing **good**. From what I know, our junior members are kicking ass with **R.O.G.U.E.** units. At least those little runts are seeing action. It'll help them grow as a team. **Fox** and **Phantom** are good, as they've always been. They've been busy trying to shag up, if you know what I mean? That idiot Phantom thinks he's got her all figured out, but I know better. And **Firewalker** … that little shit will be the death of me."

She laughed.

"I remember you and Firewalker **never** got along."

"Eh, the runt's grown on me. If only he start acting like a **man** instead of a child, then maybe I might feel a little different."

"Sounds like you see him as a **son** ," she pointed out.

Wolfe chuckled.

"That boy needs to learn **a lot** before I consider him part of my pack."


	34. Returning to Alpha Base

_**Returning to Alpha Base**_

* * *

 _Somewhere near the_ _ **eastern**_ _edge of the_ _ **Pacific Ocean**_ _…_

A storm resided over the region of ocean where the fiery remains of an **American** aircraft carrier floated in pieces, slowly sinking into the dark depths below. A slender hooded figure stalked the flight deck, searching for any survivors of the ship. Before she could proceed, a similarly armored individual materialized from the edge of the water.

 **Riptide** approached her, keeping his trident close in hand as he appeared from the dark depths.

" **Ember** ," he irritably greeted, glancing around, "Looks like **you** didn't waste time following our master's orders."

"At least I'm **fulfilling** my assignments," she coolly answered, looking at him and crossing her arms.

"I see word travels fast."

"Aye," she giggled, " **Moros** has a big mouth."

"Agreed. How are you?"

She shrugged.

"Can't complain. But, don't think you can get on my good side either, **fish-face**. Moros told me what you thought of me. **Immature** , huh?" she sharply inquired.

"Come on, **Ember** , my girl, I meant **nothing** by it," he humorously played it off.

"Uh-huh. Whatever. Come on, we've got to meet up with **baldie** to plan this big shitshow."

She removed her hood, exposing her lush and fiery long red hair that complimented her smooth tan skin. She looked back at Riptide, the iris of her eyes glowing a bright amber color.

"Baldie?" he questioned, "What the **hell** are we doing?"

"They didn't tell you?"

"I wouldn't have asked if they did."

She laughed.

"Alright, Rip. We're going to attack **R.O.G.U.E.'s Alpha Base**. Boss wants it completely wiped off the map. We're going to work with the director of **S.H.I.E.L.D.** to coordinate the attack," she briefly explained.

"Director **Sitwell**?"

"Duh? Jesus, Rip. You're **that** out of the loop?"

He sighed.

"It would appear so, Ember. I didn't realize the master was **working** with the humans."

"I didn't want to believe it either," she skeptically answered.

"Doesn't this all seem a bit strange to you?" he then asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The master working with the **humans** to destroy **R.O.G.U.E.**? I thought he planned to wipe **all** of humanity out. Not work with them."

"This is **war** , Rip. I don't think the boss cares about who he has to work with. He'll end up stabbing this Sitwell guy in the back anyway. He's a means to an end."

"I see. I just don't think I agree with it."

"I don't think **anyone** really cares what you think, Rip," she laughed.

He rolled his eyes.

"Although, you've got a point," she remarked, "I don't know what **Reaper** intends to do as his end game here but we've a debt to repay him as members of the Vanguard. So, we've got to follow his orders, no matter what we think of it, Rip."

"What **debt** , Ember?"

She expressed a moment of confusion.

"For bringing us to life? What else? Otherwise we'll end up like those other idiots who are working for the enemy."

Riptide paused for a moment, evaluating the situation they both found themselves in. Disillusioned by the disrespect of his master and the blatant slander **Moros** spoke of him, Riptide was reconsidering his stance with the **Vanguard**. But, he wasn't sure where that put him in the larger scheme of things.

"Don't tell me **you're** thinking of switching sides, Rip," she harshly brought up.

"I'm not. I just don't know **what** to think of our master right now, Ember. Truth be told, I don't think he's fighting for the same goals he once sought out two years ago."

She squinted her eyes a little, fixing a menacing gaze on her partner.

"Look. Let's just go get what he asked of us **done** so that we can see the **end** of this invasion. Even if what you said has **some** truth, what'll stop him from tearing the flesh off our bones for betraying him? Ever thought of **that** , Rip? You **know** the abilities his lapdog, **Tombstone** , has at **his** disposal. Reaper keeps him around for a reason and if I were you, we'd **drop** this subject and pretend we never talked about it, okay?"

He slowly nodded.

"As you wish."

"Good."

Suddenly, a **heli-carrier** bearing the unmistakable insignia of **S.H.I.E.L.D.** appeared out of nowhere, above the wreckage of the aircraft carrier. It shined a spotlight from its hull upon the two Vanguard mutates. Behind it, several other heli-carriers uncloaked themselves into view.

"Well, looks like our ride is here," Ember pointed out, "Come on, Rip."

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

 **Tombstone** watched as **Riptide** and **Ember** boarded the heli-carrier. His eyes, cloaked by the darkness of his hood, glowed a bright **green** color, which appeared to be drawing power from a **green gem** crested on his front-armor plate. He found the verbal exchange between the two mutates interesting but opted not to inform his master about it. He wanted to see what Riptide would do next.

Instead, he kept his grip tight on his staff, which was also crested with another gem of some sort, glowing **purple**. He watched as the invasion continued across the New York skyline, eagerly waiting the day it would be over and a new era would dawn on this world.

* * *

 _Back at_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

"This is **Mary Jane Watson** , coming to you live with support from **R.O.G.U.E.** and its sister military agencies. We're reporting a new surge of **Reaper Sentinel Forces** landing in cities across the southern hemisphere, to include **Rio de Janeiro** , **Sao Paulo** , **Buenos Aires** , **Jakarta** , **Kinshasha** , **Lima** , **Santiago** , **Sydney** , and **Johannesburg**. Several others have also been affected, with their host countries providing military support to evacuate their citizens. If you find yourself near these affected cities or any location of high population, report to the nearest **R.O.G.U.E.** relief site to be evacuated to a refugee center.

"Furthermore, we've received information on the fight against the **RSF** in the cities that were invaded at the beginning of the invasion nearly a month ago. **Moscow** and **St. Petersburg** have fallen, with the remnants of the Russian government reaching out to **R.O.G.U.E** for logistical support in withdrawing forces out of the largest nation in the world. Its military has fallen back to Siberia and China, counting on remnant forces there to help counteract the RSF.

"We've stopped receiving intel reports from **Europe** more than 24 hours ago. Our R.O.G.U.E. units in the continent have withdrawn due to a **massive** RSF presence that has blocked **any** chance of ground or aerial forces to help penetrate their defenses. Our hearts and prayers go out to the citizens trapped within the bloc and we strongly urge any militia near the European border to hold off on an attack until R.O.G.U.E. units can provide further support.

"Ground forces continue making a push against the RSF with remnants of the American Armed Forces waging an all-out air assault campaign on occupied cities in the western parts of the country. The northeastern states continue to be fully occupied by the RSF, with reports of a regional **Resistance** continuing a push to sabotage the RSF. We strongly urge citizens trapped to find their local R.O.G.U.E. unit and seek shelter with them as soon as you possibly can.

"Before we conclude this report, we encourage all armed citizens and militia groups to **avoid** working with and supporting **S.H.I.E.L.D.** and its affiliates. We've exposed a secret operation in the **Amazon Rainforest** to imprison, experiment, and murder hundreds of thousands of **mutants** and refugee **humans** alike, all thanks to their **Director Sitwell** and the leadership at the militarized agency. **R.O.G.U.E.** units are on-site and evacuating those poor citizens to safe zones now.

"Stay safe everyone, we'll have a new report to you soon. This is **Mary Jane Watson** , reporting live with the **Renegade Operations Group** for **Unified Existence**. Thank you and good night."

MJ prompted for the cameraman to cut off the feed and he did so, giving her the thumbs up when the broadcast successfully went live. She took a deep breath and walked over to her desk in the communications platform, where **Harry** was waiting for her with a cup of coffee.

"You good, MJ?"

She sighed.

" **Yeah**. As good as I can be, Harry. Thanks."

He handed her the cup and she silently sipped on it while reviewing new reports streaming in from her computer monitor.

"This just won't end, will it?" he solemnly asked.

"It's a **nightmare** , Harry. I've stopped counting casualties in the tens of thousands, when we're already reaching **tens of** **millions**. Just as we **begin** to regain a city, we lose another. So many good people, **dead** , or worse."

"Keep your chin up, MJ. You're doing great being the voice these people across the world **need** to hear to stay alive."

"But how much longer can we go on? How much longer can one fight before the fight is completely kicked out of them?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll keep fighting until the **last human**. Don't worry."

She looked up at him and faintly smiled, holding his hand. She had to look away from the computer monitor as new casualty reports began dashing across her news feed.

"I hope **Peter** and all them are **okay** ," she then silently told him, "They're our only shot at winning this."

Harry knew she spoke true. He had exhausted all his resources available to him through **Oscorp** to support the troops at the front, not just in **R.O.G.U.E.** , but in any military group willing to fight the RSF. He didn't know how much more he could offer them. But, if push came to shove, he was ready to take up arms alongside them to fight the RSF. That, he was sure of.

* * *

 _On the command platform at_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

"You have **no** idea how happy I am to see you here," Phil Coulson passionately told **May** , who had finally been transferred there via a **R.O.G.U.E.** unit out of New York.

He hugged her tightly, while she hugged him back.

"I know, **Phil**. It's so **great** to see you again too. But, where's **Peter**?"

She let go of him and started looking around the platform. He had told her that they were able to successfully evacuate him from New York and was with him.

"Don't worry, **May**. He's here. We'll get you to him as soon as possible. But first, I want to make sure you get settled in your new room and get you some food," he insisted.

 **Director Maria Hill** watched from afar on her commander's terminal, seeing Coulson escort Peter's aunt out of the command platform and towards the billeting platform, where she'd be safe for the time being. Behind her, **Hank Pym** analyzed the situation through the main global map on the large monitor. He too had been evacuated from New York with the R.O.G.U.E. unit that saved May.

"This situation has become **dire** , director," Pym simply pointed out, "In less than a **month** , all of human civilization has been brought down to its knees."

"You're stating something I know **very well** to be a fact, Dr. Pym," Hill retorted, "We're doing **everything** in our power to fight back against the **RSF and S.H.I.E.L.D.** "

"Why not concentrate your efforts on the **Triskelion**? Their headquarters?"

"Intelligence reports that the Triskelion fell weeks ago, after they invaded **Washington D.C.** and destroyed all the government facilities within the city. S.H.I.E.L.D. went into hiding shortly after."

Pym was surprised to hear this.

"What?! What about **Congress** or the **President**? Where are they? Surely, there's got to be **some** sort of governance, multilateral support against this?"

Hill just coldly shook her head.

"The formal United States government has **ceased** to exist. We're fortunate the Secretary of Defense mandated one final order to support defensive operations against the RSF to all the branches of the military. The **U.S. Army** and the **U.S. Marines** have been more than helpful in supporting us in that theater. The **Air Force** is supporting us in our aerial operations and space-surveillance of **Asteroid M** and the **Navy's 7** **th** **Fleet** is currently stationed here at **Alpha Base**. Division commanders have since taken charge of the military."

"What about the **United Nations** , Hill?!"

" **Gone** , Dr. Pym. When shit hit the fan, there was **no way** to convene the UN. The Manhattan Invasion killed the ambassadors in one quick **action**. Since then, the governments across the world have been more worried about protecting their own borders instead of others."

"Jesus," he sighed, "If this isn't the **end of days** , this sure as hell seems like it."

"Reaper took a page right out of the book of **Revelations** , it would seem," she concurred, "At least he didn't resort to **nuclear weapons**."

Pym continued to stare at the reports coming from the monitor. Hill could read that he was completely **shocked** to see all of this.

"What do you need from **me**?" he suddenly asked.

Hill expressed a face of confusion.

"Dr. Pym, with everything going on, I advise you rest for the moment. We have counselors on every platform if you need to speak to someone about…"

"Don't give me that **bullshit** , Hill. My daughter and I owe you for saving us but that doesn't mean we're going to stop now. **Tell me** what you need from me and I'll do what I can."

She saw that there was no way of convincing the former Ant-Man to back down. So, she directed him to the **R &D **platform and to see **Dr. Banner** to see if he needed help with anything they were cooking up down there.

"Thank you, director. I'll go get my daughter, **Hope** , and we'll head over there right away. When **Scott** gets back from his mission or whatever, send him straight to **me**. I've got some modifications to make to his suit," Pym instructed as he left the platform.

"Very well, Dr. Pym."

Just as he left, one of the specialists informed her that the teams from **Brazil** were making their final approach towards the base and prepared the hangar bays to receive them.

* * *

 _In the hangar bay…_

As the **Aven-Jet** , the **X-Jet** , and **The Eidolon** **II** landed in their respective bays, Director Hill and Coulson had arrived with a medical team to greet them. They all marched out, with **Vision** holding **Wanda Maximoff** in his arms, floating across space to get her towards a gurney that the medical team had prepped for them. He watched them escort her away towards the medical platform.

Hill mentally took tally of the teams, noticing that neither **Specter Haven** , the **Guardians** , or **Spidey** was with them and bringing it to their attention.

"They went after **Ava** , director," Luke spoke up, answering for them all, "They instructed us to leave before things got worse. From what we know, they're holed up at **The Archive**. **Nova's** with them too."

"The Archive?" Coulson skeptically repeated, "that place **still** exists?"

"It does," **Dracula** firmly pointed out, "your people left that place to **rot** for two years now."

"Ah, almost forgot," Tony interjected, "Hill, Coulson, meet the leaders of **The Underground**. They've agreed to help us out in the war against **Reaper**."

 **Dracula** , **Squirrel Girl** , **Black Cat** , and **Psylocke** all greeted Hill as warmly as they could with all things considered. Their vibe about Hill was somewhat shaky but they didn't allow it to get in the way of cooperation against the threat that lingered.

"Our forces were escorted out of the country by your heli-carriers," Black Cat pointed out, "So, they **should** be in **Wakanda**."

"They are," Black Panther confirmed, "As well as the refugees we were able to extract from the country."

"I see," Hill remarked, "Well, at any rate, we **welcome any** support we can get in this global war. Our alliance will serve to benefit us **all** in the coming battles."

"Actually, **Director Hill** ," Professor Xavier spoke up, approaching her on his wheelchair, "I was hoping we can discuss a more **permanent solution** to this chaos."

"Permanent solution?"

"Listen to him, ma'am, he's got a solid idea," Castle respectfully pitched in.

"Hill, I suggest we move to **officially** ally all **mutants** and **humans** , together, in a legal doctrine that will solidify our unity with you, and across the world. It will serve as the basis for future governments, as this war **will** be won at the hands of **both** humans **and** mutants."

Coulson glanced over at Hill, who closely listened to what the professor offered.

"You mean… like a **treaty**?"

"Precisely, my dear, a **treaty** of some sort!"

"Who will ratify it? How can we enforce it?" Daredevil curiously pointed out, "…and on what legal basis can we push it?"

"Jesus, look around you, horns. We're living in a lawless planet right now," Jessica coldly pointed out.

"If **R.O.G.U.E.** wins this war, the planet will have an **obligation** to fulfill our demands," Wolverine brought up, "We're not asking for an edict or anything damning. We just want this treaty to ensure that no mutant stands disrespected ever again. Not after everything that's been done to us and everything **we're** doing to stop the extinction of both our races."

"He's got a point," Hawkeye concurred, "But, it's **your** call, Hill."

All eyes fell on the director, who seemed hesitant to respond to such an action. It would motion to infer that **R.O.G.U.E.** will lead a new era of governance, and presumably, democracy. She wasn't sure of all of that, since she knew **nothing** of government. She only knew how to **lead** , and she wasn't even 100% sure she was capable of doing that much, seeing how things were going.

"Regardless of the decision, I feel it appropriate if we moved to **formally** discuss this elsewhere, not here in a hangar bay," Vision politely suggested.

"Agreed, director?" Xavier looked towards the director.

"Agreed. We'll discuss this in the conference room once **Specter Haven** and the **Guardians** return. For now, you all need some rest and food. You're dismissed."

As they were filing out, she noticed a familiar face among the **Avengers**.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the **God of Thunder** , himself," Coulson humorously pointed out.

Nervously, **Thor** turned around and smiled at them.

"My friends, how good it is to see you both in health!"

"Whoa, whoa, watch it, **Thor, Son of Odin** , you've got a lot to explain after jumping off-world. We've been trying to reach out to you for **months**! Even **after** the invasion began!"

"I know, I know, my apologies," he expressed guilt over the matter, "There was **a lot** happening on **Asgard** and my presence was absolutely needed. Trust me, I returned as soon as I could."

"Well, you're here **now** , and that's the important part," Coulson assured him.

* * *

 _On the hangar deck of_ _ **The Archive**_ _…_

 **Deadpool** sat in one of the pilot seats in the cockpit of the R.O.G.U.E. modified _**Milano**_ , listening to tunes on Star-Lord's MP3 player and rummaging through their belongings. He found a picture of Star-Lord's mom, which made his eyes widen with curiosity.

"Whoa! What a babe! **Laura Haddock's** a beauty, isn't she?!"

He continued rifling through their stuff, tossing unnecessary items out.

"Ah, don't look at me like that! Those losers walked off and left **me** here to 'stay put'. Come on, how was I **not** supposed to go through their stuff? Give me a break. There's enough 80s pop culture memorabilia here to basically make this story a parody of ' **Ready Player One** '. So, if you'll excuse me…"

Suddenly, the rear ramp opened, startling Deadpool. The Merc quickly forced himself into one of the crates and hid himself there. He peeked through a small opening to see **Rocket** and **Groot** walk into the cockpit.

"Ugh, where did this maniac go?" Rocket inquired, "Wasn't he supposed to guard the ship?"

"I am Groot."

" **I'm** not the one who put him in charge here, that was Quill's fault!"

Not able to contain him, the crate burst open, revealing Deadpool laying down face-up on a pile of dirty rags.

"Ah, **there** you are!"

"I am Groot!"

"I can see that! He's been going through our stuff. What the hell, Deadpool? Who told you to go through our shit?"

Deadpool, being Deadpool, remained perfectly still, pretending as though he had not just gotten caught.

"I'm not here, I'm not here…" he whispered to himself.

"I can **see you** , you moron!" Rocket shouted, "Who gave you the right to go through our stuff?!"

"Let the conflict pass, let the conflict pass…" Deadpool then whispered.

Rocket sighed.

"Jesus Christ. Whatever. Get your ass off the floor so we can get this bird in the air. We're about ready to leave."

Without another word, Deadpool hopped to his feet.

"Weeeeesa going home?!"

Rocket gave him a disgusted expression.

" **Yeeeaaaah** , we're going back to Alpha Base with the three we picked up."

"I am Groot."

"He **doesn't** need to know that, Groot."

"Know what?!"

"Nothing, Deadpool, **nothing**. Come on, help me get the engines running."

"You're a grumpy raccoon, you know that, Rocket?" the Merc pointed out.

"I. Am. **NOT A RACCOON!** "

"Space-Rabbit, whatever. Same thing."

"Grrraaaagggh!" Rocket growled, scratching his face, "I've had it **UP TO HERE** with your nonsense, Deadpool! Just you wait until we get back to Alpha Base!"

"Ah, so you can rummage through the garbage room again?"

"Groot! Get me my gun!" Rocket shouted.

* * *

 _In the_ _ **Server Room**_ _…_

Fox approached Phantom and stood next to him as the two of them watched **Selena** download the mysterious file onto an external hard drive. She seemed excited, eager to finally find it and turned to hold up the drive in her hand.

" **This** is the **cure** to Vitruvian, dad! Well, like I said, **closest** thing to a cure there is. It'll return you back to a state of… normalcy."

Fox could sense the happiness in Phantom. She watched him approach Selena and give him the biggest hug she could ever see a father give his daughter.

"You… you didn't have to do this, Selena. I've done nothing to deserve this. The more important task at hand is **defeating Reaper** and putting a stop to his invasion."

"Well, **not only** will this heal you, dad, but this will reverse the effects of the **Vitruvian Destiny**. This will remove their physical scarring and revert the minds of the **Wraiths** back to their human form. The only thing is that they'll remain with their special abilities. That's something that **can't** be reversed."

"We can use this on the frontlines," Fox pointed out, "This will downsize Reaper's forces to only their **sentinels**."

"They are **still dangerous** ," Phantom remarked, "But, you're right. At least, this will keep our forces from being attacked by the mutated."

"Here's the **problem** , guys," Selena quickly spoke up, " **Once** Reaper realizes that the **Vitruvian Destiny** has failed, he'll resort to his secondary plans, which means **complete extinction** of all life."

"…the **World-Ender Sentinel**?" he inquired.

Selena nodded.

"I've only seen sketches of the sentinel. But, it's **massive**. If Reaper intends to fuse the **Power Infinity Gem's** abilities to it, it can unleash an energetic wave that'll wipe across the face of the planet and destroy all life."

Phantom glanced at Fox.

"Have **you** seen this happen, Fox? In your visions?"

"I… I haven't," she nervously answered, "then again, the future is constantly changing."

"Dad, we need to be weary of **when** we use this cure. Trust me. If Reaper unleashes the World-Ender on Earth, it'll be **game over** once it hits the surface."

"So we've heard," he concurred, "we'll brief this with **Director Hill** and the rest of **R.O.G.U.E.** , we need to plan ahead for the final events of this war. That includes finding a way onto **Asteroid M** to disable and destroy the World-Ender."

"Sounds good," Selena remarked, "Anyway, we should probably get out of here. I don't think the Brazilian military will hold off much longer against the sentinels. Reaper will want this facility destroyed as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Selena, again, for everything you're doing," Phantom graciously told her.

"Don't mention it, dad. I'll go check on Spidey, see if he's ready to get up."

She promptly left the server room, leaving Fox alone with Phantom. He stared at the main computer of the server room for a little while longer before looking over to Fox.

"This is **big** news, Fox."

"I know. This means we finally have a **fighting** chance!"

"Exactly. Finally, the end of this war is near," he expressed, looking at the hard drive and placing it safely into one of his pockets.

Fox watched him do so, nervously thinking about the visions she had a while ago. She hadn't told Phantom about them yet, mostly because she was disconcerted with the situation between the two of them, but now, she felt the need to tell him.

"Is everything okay, Fox?"

He caught her staring at him.

"I've got to tell you something, **tonto**. I had a vision and… it wasn't good."

"Tell me, Fox," he softly requested.

He reached for her hand, which she hesitated to reach for, but did so anyway. Despite the rough texture of his glove, she felt excited to feel his touch.

She told him about her vision where **Reaper** was holding him up by his throat in the middle of a destroyed city street. Around them were the bodies of men, women, and children, along with the bodies of **Captain America** , **Iron Man** , **Luke Cage** … and **White Tiger**. She also told him about her second vision, where both he and Reaper fought in sword combat in what appeared to be a throne room in space, presumably **Asteroid M**.

She then remembered the last vision she had, the one where she assumed to had mothered two children, a boy and a girl, with Phantom as their father. But, she decided to **not** tell him that. At least, not yet.

"Thank you for telling me this, Fox. I promise we'll do everything in our power to prevent this from happening. At least, now we know that it's a possible outcome."

"The future is always changing, tonto. While Selena and Reaper have seen many different timelines in different realities, we've yet to see how this all plays out."

"Agreed. We must move quickly then, if we are to stay ahead."

"Tonto, there was… there was **another** vision I had. One that I've had before, but…"

"But?"

"…I'll keep it to myself, for now."

"I… I think I understand, Fox. I respect your decision."

"Please, don't think I'm keeping it from you, I… I just need time to think about it. With everything going on, I doubt it might happen anyway. There is no use in worrying you about it."

"As you wish," he politely answered, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "when you're ready to tell me, I'll be **here** , Fox, **for you**."

She faintly smiled.

"You don't have to do that, tonto."

"I want to. I want…"

Phantom hesitated. She looked at him with wanting eyes, inching closer to him.

"What do you want, tonto?" she softly asked him.

"I…"

Suddenly, **Firewalker** walked into the room.

" **Whoahhhh** , am I interrupting something or what?!"

The two of them distanced themselves apart once they heard him. Fox gritted her teeth and turned to glare at Firewalker.

"Can we **help you** , Drake?"

"Whoa, calm down there, Foxy. I was just going to tell y'all that the jet's getting ready to depart if y'all want to head over there."

"Thanks, Firewalker. We'll be there soon," Phantom calmly told him.

"Alright, cool, cool. I think there was some comfy-ass cots in one of the rooms near here. Just saying. In case y'all want to… you know, do stuff, or something. I'm just sayin'!"

"Drake…" she irritably spoke.

"What's up, Foxy?"

"Go to **hell**."

He laughed, walking out of the room.

"I'm already **livin** ' it, baby! Wooo!"

She sighed.

" **Moron** …"

She felt Phantom's touch on her shoulder.

"We can discuss this later in private. If, that's okay with you?"

She felt butterflies in her stomach, prompting her to smile.

"Of course, tonto."

Without another word, they both headed off towards the hangar deck, where the _**Milano**_ was parked at. They received word from **Wolfe** that he'd head over there right away with **Peter** after Selena checked up on him.

* * *

 _In the medical room of the_ _ **Archive**_ _…_

Slowly, **Peter** began opening his eyelids to a bright purple light emanating from a lantern. As he regained consciousness, he saw **Selena** standing next to him, alongside **Ava**. Selena was holding the lantern and promptly swung it away once she realized he had woken up.

The first thing he felt was grogginess and uneasiness, as though he had eaten a lot of bad food and it was unsettling in his stomach. But, before he could say anything else as he sat up, Ava rushed in to hug him as tightly as she could.

Once he realized that he wasn't dreaming, he gripped her, and not letting go.

No words were spoken between them, just allowing their emotions speak for themselves.

In the corner of the room, Selena and Wolfe watched, the two of them smiling to see the lovebirds finally together again.

"You know, with all the bad shit that's going on," Wolfe murmured, "…it's nice to see **some** good going on here."

"Tell me about it," Selena happily remarked.

As they let go, Ava couldn't help but to stare into Peter's eyes with a glistening gaze, unable to believe that she was holding the person she had missed for so long.

"I… Hey, **Peter** ," she managed to say.

"Hey, **Ava**."

"I'm… I'm sorry for **almost** killing you back there! I didn't mean to… I…"

He softly held a finger at her lips to hush her.

"It was worth it," he assured her with a smile.

She simply smiled back.

"But, who do I have to thank for my healing? I **know** I should be **dead** right now."

"That'll be **me**!" Selena spoke up and approached.

"Holy shit. I didn't think that was really you, Selena. My God… How are you?"

"Oh, you know, trying to stay alive. Trying to keep tigers and spiders together, you know, the logical stuff," she humored him.

"Well, I know I speak for both Peter and I in saying **thank you** for keeping him alive. If you hadn't been here…" Ava spoke up.

Selena couldn't help but smile, placing her hands at her hips.

"Trust me. You two are going to be **just fine**."

"For real, Selena. **Thank you** ," Peter emphasized.

"Seriously, don't mention it, guys. You all would've done the same for me. I hope. I think."

"We would," Ava kindly assured her.

"I don't mean to break up this happy reunion," Wolfe grunted, "But, we've got a flight to catch back to **Alpha Base**."

Peter managed to get on his feet while Ava supported him, walking back with the others to the hangar deck, where the _**Milano**_ was ready for take-off.

* * *

 _In the streets of_ _ **Manhattan**_ _…_

 **General Fury** ran through the access tunnels as he evaded a whole group of **Wraiths**. They were gaining on him with such speed and velocity, all too eager to sink their teeth into him. He threw down what debris he could to keep them at bay, but he wasn't sure **where** he was going at that point. He knew that the **Resistance** were surely looking for him by now, since his whole group was eradicated, but it would be sheer dumb luck to run into them now.

Further down the tunnels, he ran almost face-first into **another** group of Wraiths, who ceased feasting on a woman's decomposing body to run after him.

"Shit!"

His lungs were on fire, trying to keep his speed up while trying to slow down those monsters anyway he could. He mustered his second-lung of air to sprint up a tall flight of stairs and burst through a doorway, finding himself directly inside a subway tunnel.

He began to run in one direction before stopping himself short and running backwards as multiple Wraiths were waiting for him in that direction. He passed by the door he had just entered from, just barely evading the Wraiths who were chasing him from there.

"Son of a **bitch**! Why!"

Now there were at least fifteen plus Wraiths at his heels, who kept up their pace while using vanishing abilities to try and trip up Fury.

He heard noises down a nearby maintenance doorway that didn't sound like Wraiths. It was possibly sentinels but the tunnel was running short since there was a huge pile of debris blocking it.

He took his chance and burst into the maintenance doorway, finding himself face to face with a squad of **Resistance** fighters.

"Halt! Identify yourself!" one of them shouted, raising his rifle at Fury.

"That's **General Fury** , moron! Put down that rifle!"

"No!" Fury shouted, "Keep them up! They're right behind me! Shoot them! Shoot!"

He side-stepped into a corner of the doorway while the soldiers unleashed several volleys of bullet-fire onto the Wraiths, cutting them down one-by-one as they routed through the doorway. A larger soldier came up behind the troops and continued firing with a light-machine gun from his hip.

What seemed like an eternity later, the firing ceased as the last Wraith was killed, having formed a huge and foul-smelling pile of dead Wraiths.

Fury gasped to catch his breath, his heart still pounding with beads of sweat rolling down his face. He knelt down to do so.

"Are you okay, sir?!"

"I'm fine, soldier. Just fine," he assured them.

"We thought you were dead, general!" another notified him.

"I **should be**. I need to get to a safe zone quick. Can you boys get me out of here?"

"Of course, general."

They radioed in for assistance from their rear support. More soldiers showed up and handed Fury a rifle, escorting him topside and getting him to a safer location via a Humvee.

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

Hey homies, sorry for the delayed note for a while. Thought you all might like to know that old **Aferus** has been helping me with writing these recent chaps! So, we gettin some of the original master's writing here at hand! But, we keepin the content as short as possible, mmkay? We don't need 20k+ worded chaps now.

Anyway, quick updates...

in case anyone was wondering, the **Infinity Gems** were using in this story* are from the original comic book version, pre-2016. So they're listed below with their right colors. They're **NOT** the ones post-2016 that you've seen in the **MCU**.

Soul - Green

Time - Orange

Space - Purple

Mind - Blue

Reality - Yellow

Power - Red

* We might need to re-edit Specter Haven to reflect these changes.

Also...

I don't know if I mentioned this yet but I've updated the chapter-planning list with permission from afe to alter the story slightly with new plot points, but keeping the framework the same.

ONE MORE THING!

I've got a **casting call** on afe's profile with all the intended actors and actresses to play the roles in the story to give you a better descriptive look at these characters. feel free to look at them if u guys want.

thanks y'all =D

\- JACK MONTERO


	35. Mourning

_**Mourning**_

* * *

 **A/N** : This is a longer chapter, guys! We're sorry it's longer than usual, but there's more content to cover in this one in order to advance to the next event. We'll release the next chapter **later** so that everyone gets ample time to read. Enjoy!

-Aferus & Jack Montero

* * *

 _In the lower-compartment of the_ _ **Milano**_ _…_

Once the team saddled up on-board the modified jet, Rocket set a course back to **Alpha Base** out towards the Pacific Ocean, gliding across the stratosphere to cover the most ground on their way back. Despite **Deadpool** joking about at the beginning of the flight, it quieted down once everyone snuggled in to get some shut-eye, especially after the events they went through.

Star-Lord and Rocket remained at the helm with Drax and Gamora sitting in the passenger seats behind them. They murmured amongst themselves, talking about where the best place to store the **Infinity Gems** would be after all of this.

Groot was rearranging the cabin, cleaning it up after Deadpool had rummaged through everything. The Merc grew a guilty conscience seeing him do this in silence, so he gave a helping hand, for what it was worth.

In the back of the cabin, the others rested. Phantom meditated next to Fox, who had curled up underneath a blanket next to him.

Wolfe was sleeping in a corner across from them with Firewalker still awake and listening to tunes on his music player.

Nova handled the navigational controls next to the cockpit while secretly playing a video game on the side, glancing up at Groot and Deadpool between rounds.

Peter was sitting up on a cot with a sleeping Ava in his arms. He was asleep as well, seemingly peaceful now that he was with the girl he loved again.

Selena smiled at them as she walked past and crouched down to enter the lower levels of the jet. Wren saw her do so and followed her down there.

"You okay, Selena?" he curiously asked once they both were down there.

She took a deep breath and sat on top of a nearby crate.

"I'm okay, Wren. Thanks. Just, trying to figure out what we're going to do next."

He took a seat on a crate next to her.

"We'll figure that out once we get to their base. Though, I honestly thought you'd be happier to see your actual dad."

"I **am** , Wren, I **am** ," she assured him, "I had just hoped we would've arrived **before** the invasion started. There's no telling how many people are **dead** by now."

"We've been through a lot of universes, Selena. It's kind of the law of the multiverse that people **will** die, no matter what. We can't stop **Death** and her powers that be."

She scoffed.

"As **if** we don't have **enough** problems."

He warmly placed a hand on her shoulder closest to him.

"It'll be **okay**. Trust me. We'll get through this."

She glanced over at him and faintly smiled.

"If you say so. At least we were able to get **Spidey** and **Tiger** back together, right? Those two seem so happy, so in love."

"That they are," he concurred, keeping his gaze on her, "…so in **love**."

She caught his stare and playfully rolled her eyes.

"You just don't get the hint. Do you, Wren?"

He shrugged, smiling.

"It's **no wonder** you get jealous so easily!"

"That's not true!" he pleaded.

"Mhm. Come on, lover boy, let's get back up there before my **dad** sees us and throws you off this jet."

"Why'd you come down here anyway?" he questioned.

"Just needed space to **think**."

"About?"

"How this will end, Wren," she sighed, "…we were lucky we got to the spider in time before he died from his wounds. That would've ruined **everything**."

 _Above them…_

 **Peter** squirmed while he slept, seemingly suffering from a bad dream he was having. He briefly awakened Ava, but she simply held him closer in an attempt to calm him down.

Inside his mind, however, he was experiencing something else…

* * *

 _Inside Peter's subconscious…_

Peter woke up inside a dark void. He was surrounded by grayish white mist and the screams of women and children echoed across the dreamscape. The metallic horn that sounded off as the sentinels landed also boomed in the distance.

He looked down, realizing he was wearing a **black** version of the Spider-Man suit, with a red spider icon in the middle of his chest.

"What the hell?"

He squirmed to get the suit off him, but it was like it was part of his skin. Permanently attached.

Suddenly, he heard a subtle chuckle sound off nearby.

 **Reaper** then materialized into view, in front of Peter, startling him to the point he fell backwards.

"R-Reaper!"

"Peter Parker," he darkly greeted back, observing him.

"W-What do you want? You're not getting my mind again like you did last time!"

"Calm down, **Spider-Man**. I'm merely here to award your efforts. Why, even I couldn't have expected that you'd find your beloved **Ava Ayala** so soon."

"What do you want?"

"A conversation," Reaper simply answered, "…or rather, an answer to… an offer."

"You got into my head just to **offer** me something?"

"And why not? We share a mental connection. Consider this a line of communication in which you can **always** talk to me through."

"Why should I?!" Peter angrily shouted, "You're killing millions of people around the world! You're torturing them! You're… you're **harvesting** us!"

The dark specter subtly chuckled, once again.

"Is **that** what you want to call it?"

"I call a genocide as I see it," the web-slinger snapped back.

"I see."

Reaper then waved his right hand and out materialized a silver throne made of skulls and bones. He took his seat on it and relaxed himself.

"The end of this war will be **my** victory, Parker. As such, the dawn of a **new age** will arise, and **I** will ensure that it will be an age of **peace** and **prosperity** for the rest of time."

"You've really gone **loco** , haven't you? Don't lie to me with that bullshit of peace, Reaper. That's **not** what you want."

"Do you **really** think I bid my time **waiting** **decades** for a war that I wish to last forever? Don't be so naïve, **boy**. There are factors at hand **far** beyond your understanding."

Peter crossed his arms.

"What, like turning us **all** into those… those **mindless zombies**?"

"Their minds are fixed only to **kill**. Rest assured, their minds will be returned to them in time. **They** will be the citizens of my new empire, and **they** will **never** have to worry about their natural rights that they are entitled to. Natural rights that **this age** has denied us all for **far too long**."

"What are you talking about?" Peter curiously asked.

"Look at the state of your world, Peter,"

Reaper waved his hands once more and suddenly the dreamscape changed to a desert scene, where tanks and attack drones surged through a battlefield accompanied by armored soldiers with rifles. They were attacking a city, practically leveling it to the ground with airstrikes.

"Should I tell you how many **innocent people** have **died** over this war in the Middle East, Peter?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"This **underlines** your violent nature, Peter. Humans are **predisposed** to violence. They kill each other to no end, justifying it with the prayer of a god, an economic reason, or a political plot. This has gone on… for **thousands of years**."

The scene changed, seemingly going backwards in time to different eras and different sets of soldiers killing each other with varied weaponry.

"We're **human**. We make mistakes," Peter pleaded.

Reaper scoffed.

"The **same excuse** I've heard the entire **world** tell me. I would not care had humanity's inclination towards violence not obliterated **my** people. My beloved **Genosha**. In effect, that behavior **must** change."

Peter shook his head as the scene returned to the misty dreamscape.

"So, **your answer** to the violence is… what? **More** violence?! What sense does that make?!"

"I returned to **this reality** with a simple offer, Peter. **Join me** or **perish**. If I'm not mistaken, a young **Benjamin Franklin** once coined a similar term for the patriots of the American colonies to fight the **British Empire** , no? The term led to the **Revolutionary War** , did it not?"

"Don't even compare yourself to him. You're nothing but a mass murderer."

"And how many British soldiers were **killed** for the United States to exist today?" Reaper returned with a question, " **War** was necessary. As is **this war** to fight against the injustices all of **humanity** has presented for far too long."

The young web-slinger looked down at the floorless ground beneath him, staring into the void. He tried to make sense of what Reaper was trying to tell him, while resisting the specter's influence over him.

He didn't want to believe him.

Reaper stared at the young web-slinger carefully, eagerly waiting for him to say something.

"Peter…"

The young man looked up at the specter.

"…what I offer humanity is **peace**. I've never lied about that before and neither will I do so now. Imagine it. A world filled with lush green for miles and miles on end. A world **free** of pain and suffering. There would be no more disease, no more death, no more wars, and no more evil left to conquer. I would end world hunger and provide a shelter for **every** soul under my reign. **You** could live a happy life, Peter… with **Ava**."

Peter briefly looked down again, but his attention returned when Reaper mentioned her name.

"Yes, Peter. I know just how very much she means to you. And you know what? I was wrong to have doubted before. It seems your love for her has surpassed my expectation," Reaper calmly expressed.

"I don't… I don't know… what to say here…"

His **Spider-Sense** was beginning to subtly go off, as though there was an overarching danger surrounding him. Peter couldn't realize it, but his eyes began to glow a bright red.

He didn't know Reaper was forcing his influence upon him in an attempt to control his mind.

"Allow me tell you **my** offer, Peter," Reaper then spoke, standing up from his throne and slowly approaching him.

"W-What is it?"

" **Join me** , Peter. Together, we can **defeat** the evil scourge of humanity, **once** and **for all**. And once the ash settles and the war is won, I promise you, you will live like a king alongside Ava. Together, you both will live a life of peace, of love, and happiness. The world will **never** need another **Spider-Man** or **White Tiger** ever again. There would be no more need of saving anyone."

"I… I'm not… sure…"

He looked down, trying to keep himself from looking into Reaper's red eyes. Startling him, he felt Reaper's icy cold touch as the specter placed an assuring hand on his shoulder.

"I will give you some time to think about my offer, Peter. We'll stay in touch."

* * *

Without another word, Reaper released Peter's mind and he woke up with beads of sweat coming down his face, gasping for air. He immediately woke up Ava.

"Peter, are you okay?!"

"I'm… I'm fine," he assured her, "just a bad dream…"

Phantom overheard.

"What happened in your dream?"

Peter glanced over at him, but was hesitant to tell him what he had seen. He had thought that Dr. Strange severed the connection with Reaper over a month ago, but it looks like it was still there.

"It was nothing, Phantom. I actually don't remember," he lied.

"I see."

* * *

 _On-board the main_ _ **S.H.I.E.L.D.**_ _tri-carrier…_

 **Riptide** and **Ember** were reluctantly escorted by S.H.I.E.L.D. armored agents through the corridors of the massive flag-ship that hovered at the head of an entirely cloaked heli-carrier fleet, presumably the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s forces. They were given angered expressions by the agents that witnessed them walk through their workspaces, some of them questioning whether they had reached a peace agreement with the invaders.

"This is a **bad idea** , Ember," Riptide murmured to his cohort.

"Well, it's not **my** idea," she quietly protested, "Remember, these are our orders, Rip."

He rolled his eyes.

Finally, they reached the bridge of the tri-carrier, where they saw **Director Jasper Sitwell** stand at the director's terminal overlooking the rest of the bridge where specialists monitored the invasion through their workstations. A high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was quietly talking with Sitwell as his attention diverted to the Vanguard mutates.

"Sir, I must again recommend **against** working with the **RSF**. We are supposed to be **fighting** them, **not** joining forces with them," the agent politely argued.

"Our enemy, first and foremost, is **R.O.G.U.E.** and their operations against us throughout the globe. Once they are gone, we can proceed with a peace agreement with these invaders. For now, I consider the enemy of our enemy our friend," Sitwell coldly answered.

The agent didn't take that for an answer.

"But, sir, our intelligence suggests that peace isn't within their interest. We should be allying ourselves with **R.O.G.U.E.** to help with evacuation and humanitarian efforts. This goes against what the Council would've ordered…"

Sitwell then paused, returning his direction to the agent, with an expression of great disdain.

"…' **allying ourselves with R.O.G.U.E.** ', is that a **serious** suggestion?" he angrily inquired.

"Sir, this **isn't** what S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for. It was one thing holding up suspected sympathizers in those concentration camps, it's another directly working with the enemy."

The mutates watched while Sitwell slowly withdrew a pistol that was holstered at his back.

"Well, for one, the Council is **dead**. **My** mandate is the sole voice of S.H.I.E.L.D. moving forward. I see R.O.G.U.E. as the single greatest threat to the security of the planet. Once they are destroyed, we can talk about the future then."

"But, sir…"

Sitwell raised up his left hand to silence the agent.

"Something I **won't** tolerate, agent, is **disobedience**. That comes with a price."

In the blink of an eye, Sitwell pulled out his pistol and shot the agent at point-blank range directly at his chest. The agent fell backwards with a stream of blood soaking through his uniform.

"Clean this up," the director ordered his troops, "…and throw him overboard. We don't bury traitors with honors here."

Additional agents showed up to drag the dead agent away, leaving behind a trail of blood that was promptly cleaned up by a sanitation specialist.

Sitwell resumed his attention on the Vanguard mutates, warmly smiling at them.

"Welcome, representatives from the **Vanguard**. We are honored to have you amongst us in our hour of need," he greeted.

Riptide crossed his arms.

"How did **you** manage to come to an agreement with our **master**?" he skeptically questioned.

Sitwell chuckled.

"I'm sure you realize by now that **we** are a **global** organization. With the governments of the world falling to your forces, the fate of our future is falling directly into **our** hands. We, at S.H.I.E.L.D., have not conducted or planned any operation against your forces. We cannot say the same for our enemies at R.O.G.U.E., however. It is within both our interests that their organization be completely destroyed, so that we can resume a dialogue of **peace** between your forces and ours."

"We understand," Ember politely spoke up, "Our master has ordered us to work with you directly. Whatever you need us to do in this attack, we'll coordinate."

Riptide subtly rolled his eyes.

"I'm **happy** to hear that," Sitwell assured her with a grin, "Please, follow me so that we can discuss our next stages of attack."

They both followed him to his director's terminal to view the attack plan. Riptide had to take a double-take when he saw Sitwell shift his eyes. He was almost **certain** that he saw the man's eyes flash a bright **red**.

* * *

 _Back at_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

Upon returning to the secret R.O.G.U.E. base, Director Hill gave the returning heroes some time to rest, eat something, and shower up before joining everyone inside the command platform for a small ceremony. They pulled aside **Selena** and **Wren** to debrief them and to catch up to speed about their whereabouts and of what they know.

 **Phantom** walked over to his room on the billeting platform and took a long hot shower. He tried to clear his mind while keeping what Selena had told him in consideration. With the invasion advancing, he worried that they'd run out of time to stop Reaper and lose the war to his forces.

It was an outcome he prayed wouldn't come to realization, but it was hard to believe otherwise when even Selena herself claimed that Reaper won this specific event several times over in other realities. It would stand to prove that the multiverse has yet to show a timeline where **they** win this.

After the shower, he exchanged his suit and got a clean one to wear underneath his armor. Once geared up, he sat at the computer monitor to look over the progress of the junior mutates of **Specter Haven**. He had initially felt bad for separating the junior mutates in order for them to support R.O.G.U.E. operations around the world. But, judging from the mission reports, they were doing an incredible job helping the ground troops out.

Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door.

He turned to see **Fox** let herself in. Her hair was still slightly wet from her recent shower. Instead of her suit, she was wearing casual clothing of tight black jeans, flats, and a white tank top.

"Sorry, **tonto**. I thought I'd check on you."

"It's alright, **Fox**. Have you been reading the latest mission reports?"

"Yes, I have been. I'm glad those kids are following orders as well as they are. I was a little worried their attitudes would get in the way."

Phantom slightly chuckled.

"I'm sure **Wolfe's** mentoring ensured that their attitudes would stay in check."

"Of course," she agreed, "So, I assume you're feeling better now that **Selena** is back, right?"

He shrugged.

"I am, but… it would seem that her return brings more questions than answers."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

He explained to her what Selena had mentioned to him, that he and Reaper were some sort of multiversal entities known as **revenants** , and that their abilities traversed the limitations of several realities and timelines. He added that there was always one revenant that fought to **preserve** life while the other fought to **destroy** it. He also explained that the only **true** way to defeat a revenant would be to perform something called a **unity** which would wipe out all life in a single universe.

Fox's eyes widened as he explained it in detail to her in the same manner that Selena explained it to him. It all seemed so unbelievable to her. At the same time, even **he** was still trying to believe it.

"I… I don't know what to say," she responded, in shock, when he finished telling her.

"I understand. If what Selena tells me is true, then that would mean this conflict and its meaning extends far greater than what any of us can understand."

He stood up and walked over to the Plexiglas window that shined a small shade of light onto the underwater base, staring out into the darkness of the depths.

"If I can't defeat Reaper conventionally, we're left with few options to succeed in winning this war," he concluded.

"What about imprisoning him?"

He shook his head.

"It wouldn't rid this universe of him. So long as he exists here, then we'll never find peace."

Fox took a seat at the foot of his bed, trying hard to figure out a solution to the problem.

"I don't understand," she sighed, "What does that **mean**?"

He turned to look at her and slowly approached her.

"It means that I will do what is necessary to rid this universe of Reaper's control. I'll disarm him of the Infinity Gems he has in his possession and then I'll figure out someway to banish him to another universe, where he won't be able to escape. I'll… I'll remain there with him, if need be."

"No," she simply protested, "I'm **not** going to let you do that to yourself, tonto. No…"

"If there is no other solution, Fox, then it is the **only** way."

"Why would you have to go with him, huh?! Can't he just stay there by himself?! Without those gems he won't be able to escape, right?!"

She stood up and was becoming agitated with each question. Phantom tried calming her down by placing his palms on her shoulders.

"I can't afford to let him escape. If that means we'll fight each other for all eternity, then so be it. I won't sacrifice a universe to defeat him," he confidently told her.

"But, you'll be gone from **this** universe. You won't be here anymore… with… with **Specter Haven** … who's going to lead us, then?"

"You've proven yourself to be a capable leader in my stead, Fox. I **know** you'll be able to handle the burden of leadership for the future."

Her lips began to subtly shake from the sudden urge of sadness from what she was hearing.

"What if I don't **want** that?"

Phantom sighed.

"Do you think banishing myself with Reaper is what **I** want? Fox, we're **all** making sacrifices here. I won't allow another soul to be **murdered** because of my conflict with him. We can't afford to be selfish here. **Someone has** to sacrifice their happiness for the good of all."

"I know… I know… it's just…"

"It's just **what**?"

She simply shook her head and turned to leave the room.

"Fox?"

She stopped and looked at him before exiting the doorway.

"I just don't want it to be **you** that has to make that sacrifice."

She left before another word, closing the door behind her. Phantom was left alone, pondering her thoughts. He sighed once more and sat at the foot of his bed, planting his face into his palms. He was conflicted with what she had said.

On one hand, he knew that he could use the Reality Gem to open up a rift into another universe, where he'd banish himself **and** Reaper to and save the present universe by fighting him somewhere else, in an alternate timeline.

But, on the other hand…

He felt tiredness in his soul. He wasn't sure how much more he could keep fighting, only to lose once more against his alter ego. But, above all else…

He didn't want to leave **Fox's** side.

And that truth conflicted him more than anything else.

* * *

 _In the main messhall in Alpha Base…_

 **Firewalker** and **Wolfe** cleaned themselves up and munched on a meal before heading to the command platform with the others. Firewalker sat in silence, twirling the mediocrely-made spaghetti around his fork, seemingly uninterested in his food.

Wolfe finished off his bowl quickly, scarfing it down with the appetite of an animal. As he cleaned up his beard, he noticed Drake had barely eaten his food.

"You've got to eat something, pup."

"I'm not in the mood, big dawg."

"What the hell is wrong with **you**? You usually don't shut up about shit."

The young lighter-skinned African-American simply sighed.

"I read the invasion reports on **Los Angeles**. Specifically, the hood where I did my dancing gigs with my homies."

"And?" Wolfe pressed, "Did they make it out on a life-ship or what?"

Drake slowly shook his head.

"A Juggernaut showed up and fried the entire place. Anybody who wasn't a pile of ashes ended up a **Wraith**. They said it was a 100% casualty rate. There was nothing anybody could do."

Wolfe's expression became grim, hearing this.

"I'm… I'm sorry… pup, I didn't know."

Tears glistened Firewalker's eyes.

"They… they didn't deserve to die, man… They was good people. They didn't have a dollar to they name but they was **good** people!"

"Calm down, boy. This isn't the place to lose your mind now."

But, before Wolfe could finish his sentence, Drake burst into tears, shoving his face into his palms.

" **Fuck** , man! Why did it have to be them, huh?!"

Agents near their table glanced over, trying to see what was going on. But Wolfe's quick and threatening glare scared their eyes away.

The phantom hunter stared at his teammate with a confused expression, unsure of what to do at this point. He'd never seen the young man cry like this, but he realized that perhaps the reality of their situation was finally catching up to Drake, and it hit him at a thousand miles per hour.

Calmly, he got up from his seat and sat directly next to Firewalker, and embraced him.

Drake sobbed into Wolfe's furred shoulder, letting it all out.

"It wasn't your fault, pup."

"That fucker, Reaper… I'm going to roast him up, man! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to murder him!"

Wolfe began to feel Firewalker's skin particles begin to heat up, as though he was about to ignite on impulse.

"Check your anger, boy. Don't unleash it all now."

"I just… I don't know what to do, man…" he solemnly told him, letting go of his hug and trying to dry up his eyes.

Assuredly, Wolfe placed his paw-like hand on Firewalker's shoulder.

"We'll fight fortheir memory, pup. I swear it."

This seemed to slightly lift the young man's spirits.

"Thanks, old man. You right. We will."

* * *

 _In one of the secured conference rooms on-board the command platform…_

While the teams rested up before their reunion, **Selena** and **Wren** spent that time practically in an interrogation session with **Director Hill** , **Agent Coulson** , **Cable** , **Steve Rogers** and **Tony Stark**. Selena repeated her explanation that she said to her father back to them and answered most of the questions that followed to the best of her ability. Although they weren't initially convinced, it did reveal a lot of mysteries not previously known to them, and restructured the progression of their counter-operations against the **RSF**.

"I'm **still** trying to wrap my head around this whole ' **reality-jumping** ' concept," Steve expressed, " **How** are you able to do this exactly?"

Selena subtly sighed.

"The experiment on **Island M** caused me to be mutated with the same essence of the **Reality Gem** since Reaper used his **own** blood sample to mix into the version of the Vitruvian serum that he used in the experiment. Since he had **decades** of exposure with the gem, it became an inherited power. Or so, that's what I **think** happened. I don't know."

"That still doesn't explain how you guys escaped the asteroid and saved your father," Hill sternly pointed out.

"We're still trying to figure that out ourselves," Wren sincerely answered, "We even think we may have slipped into an alternate reality that is almost perfectly linear to the events that occurred on Island M."

"That **is** possible," Cable concurred, "However, how is it that neither **Deadpool** or myself could locate you two in **any** of the timelines we visited?"

"Travelling through **time** is a little different from travelling to separate **realities** , isn't it?" Wren beckoned the question.

"I suppose so. But, how were **we** able to witness the fall of our world countless times over as Reaper took over the planet?"

Selena shrugged.

"Reaper's destroyed Earth in countless timelines and has **won**. It's perfected his invasion strategy. We were busy trying to get back to **this** reality because we believe that Reaper knows the truth behind the revenants. **This** Phantom is the **other** revenant. It stands to make him a greater threat than any of the other Phantoms in other timelines."

"Ugh, this is **so** confusing," Coulson sighed.

"Alright, forget the reality jumping stuff. What can **you guys** offer us as far as help goes?" Tony curiously asked.

" **Besides** the cure to the Vitruvian serum?" Wren politely asked.

"Mass-creation of the cure will take **time**. It's a huge gamble," Hill brought up with skepticism.

"…that'll **pay off**. It'll destroy the purpose from his invasion."

"How long will it take for your guys to create **enough** of the cure to produce across the entire planet?" Selena then firmly asked.

Everyone glanced over to Hill and Coulson hearing this question.

"I think we should evaluate methods of dispersion first," Coulson quickly answered, "Perhaps an aerosol that we can disperse into the atmosphere?"

" **Asteroid M** shoots that plan out of the water," Selena retorted, "…that thing is like a freakin' **Death Star**. It'll be impossible to do that, even **if** that's the best method to disperse it."

"Let's concentrate on **Manhattan** ," Cable redirected, "In each outcome of the invasions Wade and I witnessed, Reaper built some sort of **portal** that shot straight up into space in that city, directly **into** Asteroid M."

"What for?" Steve asked.

"We're not sure. We didn't stick around long enough to figure that out."

"Do we know if he's built that yet?" Tony asked another question.

Hill shrugged, rolling her eyes.

"I'd have to ask **Fury** in our next transmission to them. I know he mentioned that they were building something in **Central Park**. I'd assume that it might be the portal you're all talking about."

"Then **that's our ticket** ," Selena confidently stated, "We need to bring the fight to **Manhattan** and get to that **portal** to get a straight shot **into** Asteroid M. We can send a team to both **disable** the World-Ender Sentinel **and** repurpose the rock to disperse the cure **into** the atmosphere. Kill two birds with **one shot**."

"What about **Reaper**? He's not going to go out without a fight," Steve concernedly pointed out.

"Agreed," Wren concurred, "…we have to **double** his threat in the fact that he has **two** Infinity Gems. At least he doesn't have all six gems."

"Do we know where the others are?" Coulson curiously asked.

Selena and Wren glanced at each other, as subtly as they could.

"Strange has the **Time** Gem and Vision has the **Mind** Gem," Tony pointed out, "Those are the only ones **we** know of."

"That leaves the **Space** and **Soul** Gems unaccounted for," Cable sighed, "Who could have those?"

The Reality Jumpers looked at each other once more. This time, Cable noticed, but opted not to say anything at that present time.

"Well, we'll worry about **that** once the time comes. For now, we can focus our next stage of attack on **Manhattan** ," Steve affirmed, "That'll require us to pool **all** our forces."

" **That's** going to take time," Coulson retorted, "We're spread out across all theaters fighting multiple fronts with both the **RSF and S.H.I.E.L.D.** "

"Not to mention that we still have to perfect the **Super Electrode** ," Tony added, "Otherwise, we're still **sitting ducks** against those machines."

"Very well," Hill concluded, "…Coulson and I will draw up a battle plan to attack **Manhattan**. First, we need to meet with **Professor Xavier** to talk about this treaty he wants to write up. **Then** , we'll talk about the rest with the others."

She left it at that, allowing them to leave the room. Cable left first, waiting on the side of the doorway while Coulson, Hill, Tony, and Steve left afterwards. He cornered the Reality Jumpers inside the conference room after the others left, closing the doors behind him.

Selena sighed once she saw him practically storm in.

"Here we go…"

"You both withheld **quite** a bit of information to the director," Cable sternly pointed out, crossing his arms.

"She's worried about finishing this war. I don't think adding cosmic theories into her head will make that goal **any** easier," Wren pointed out.

"But, the location of the other two **Infinity Gems** is crucial, is it not?"

Selena shook her head.

"Look, **Wren and I** are taking care of this situation **as we can**. We don't have to worry everyone else about it if we don't have to."

"Who has them then, Phantasm?"

Wren glanced over at Selena, who stood firm-faced against Cable, slightly squinting her eyes to show she wasn't afraid of the time-traveler's stature or demeanor.

"Selena… we should tell him."

"Or we can keep our mouths **shut** , Wren."

"The Vanguard has them, don't they?" Cable casually guessed.

Wren slightly nodded.

"God damn it, Wren!" she shouted.

"Well, that complicates things. Then, it's **Reaper** who is in possession of them?"

" **No** ," she irritably answered, "…it's his lap-dog, **Tombstone**."

Cable's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why him?"

"Tombstone is an **extremely powerful** mutate, even **without** the gems," Wren explained, "His unquestionable loyalty to Reaper makes him the most trusted of the Vanguard."

Selena sighed once more, turning her back towards Cable and looking out into the Plexiglas window that loomed over a reef of a nearby island chain.

"We **tried** to secure the **Space** and **Soul** gems before Reaper got his hands on them. We were trying to prevent an Infinity event where the wielder of the **Infinity Gauntlet** acquired all six Infinity Gems and used them to practically wipe out all life in the universe," she detailed out.

"Is that possible at this point?"

"It is," Wren confirmed, "But, Reaper doesn't **have** an Infinity Gauntlet. We only know of **one** individual who does, but we're pretty sure he wouldn't have separated with it. Besides, he's in a completely different reality than this one."

"It doesn't matter," Selena continued, "…but, as I was saying, Reaper **must've** found out about the gems because he sent **Tombstone** to go after us and we ran through ten different realities trying to outrun him. He eventually got ahold of them and was able to traverse back to Reaper."

"I see," Cable observed, "Well, thank you for telling me."

"Did we have a choice?" she snapped.

"Well, we have an obligation to save the future. I assume then, that the director **doesn't** know about the **web-slinger's** role in all of this?"

Selena and Wren both looked puzzled.

"Wait, how do **you** know?" Wren skeptically asked.

"We saw something happen in a few of the timelines," Cable explained, "…and I'm sure it's not by **coincidence** that the spider played that intrinsic of a role. But, he was killed in each outcome before he was able to play his part."

"Because he **knew** about it in those timelines," Selena firmly pointed out, "…we **can't** tell him about it. Or we'll lose him, and this will **all** go to shit if Plan A fails."

"We **need** to keep Peter Parker alive," Wren emphasized, "…if this all fails within this universe, he's the **only one** that can save it."

"…at least, that's what the **old man** proposed."

* * *

 _In one of the lounges in the billeting platform…_

After taking a warm shower and a change of clothes into a R.O.G.U.E. jumper, **Ava** met back up with **Peter** at one of the lounges between the hallways where he asked **Danny** , **Luke** , and **Sam** to meet him at so that they can all meet up.

She felt anxious. Coupled with everything going on in the world, she was finally going to see her old team after what seemed like an eternity apart. More so, she was eager to get some time alone with Peter, to talk, sincerely.

Her heart skipped when she saw him sitting down on one of the sleek sofas in the lounge, wearing a normal set of jeans and a blue tee. He smiled when he saw her approach.

" **Hey**!" he happily greeted.

"Hey, Pete."

He walked up to her and kissed her, reaching for her hands so that he can hold them.

"How are you feeling?" he then asked.

"Good! Just… nervous."

"Don't be," he assured her, "…we've all been separated for too long. We're **family**."

"I know, Pete, I know. It's just…"

She quivered her lips.

"…I didn't exactly get a lot of time to socialize when I was in **Brazil**. I got used to not trusting people."

Peter's expression turned to worry.

"Do you trust **me**?"

She faintly smiled.

"Of course, I do! But, it's just going to take some time getting used to being part of a team again."

"I understand," he softly told her, "…but, with the world falling apart, we **might** need you to pick up the pace."

She slightly giggled.

"No pressure, huh?"

"Well, you **are** the **White Tiger**."

The Jade Tiger Amulet wrapped around her neck like a choker glowed brightly as he said that.

"Speaking of which, I'm going to need a new suit," she pointed out.

"I might know a guy who can help you out with that. But, first…"

He looked behind her and smiled. She turned to see **Luke** , **Sam** , and **Danny** , all with friendly smiles on their faces. She had to take a double take on Luke and Danny, because Luke had gone bald with a full goatee and Danny had shorter hair but with a beard as well.

"See?!" Sam blurted out, "I **told you guys** she was still alive!"

"Oh my God, hey guys!" she exclaimed.

"Ava, Ava, Ava, finally you're back!" Luke warmly and humorously greeted, stepping forward and hugging her.

"It's great to see you, Luke!"

She turned and saw Danny.

"And here I was beginning to think we would never see the White Tiger again," he kindly added as he leaned in for a warm hug.

She chuckled as she embraced her old friend.

"You just didn't want your place as martial arts master to be taken away, fortune cookie!"

"Ha, how I missed being called that."

"About **time** we're all back together!" Sam brought up, "How about we go visit that piece of crap, **Sitwell** , and give him a piece of our mind for splitting us up?!"

"We should **not** have obeyed him," Danny reflected, "But, I believe the journeys that we took apart were necessary so that we can grow stronger, together."

"You can say that again, Danny," Luke concurred.

They spent most of the next hour telling Ava what the rest of the team was up to since they had last seen each other. They told her how S.H.I.E.L.D. took them to different "training sites" to go work for them but explained their escape plans and how they had to quickly adapt to living under the radar, under new aliases.

"I didn't expect you to end up as a **P.I** , Luke," she remarked after Luke explained what he was doing.

"I didn't think so either. I was initially doing odd-jobs here and there around **Harlem** , working as a store clerk or a bouncer. I met up with an old friend who owned a barber shop and he helped me lay low while I tried to make a living. Then, I ran into **Jessica** … and the rest is history. I ended up in **D.C.** "

"Mhm," Sam humored, "There's more to that **'history'** that he's not saying, Ava, don't let him fool you."

"Shut it, buckethead."

Ava listened to Sam talk about how he himself was able to get off-planet and meet back up with his mentor, **Rocket** , and join back up with **The** **Guardians of the Galaxy** , re-capping most of what he had already told her back at The Archive.

"I can't even **begin** to imagine how big this operation has become if we've got the **Guardians** on our side," Ava remarked.

"Well, I'm sure we all know that they're just in it for the **Infinity Gems** ," Sam pointed out, "…once this war is over, those gems are going to need to be locked away forever."

"Still… the fact we have beings from other parts of the galaxy helping us out, shows that this whole war threatens more than just the people of Earth."

"You are correct, Ava," Danny agreed.

Danny then explained to Ava about how he escaped and ended up in Japan with Master Izo, who was once an associate of The Hand, and trained under him to continue unlocking his abilities as the **Iron Fist**. He briefly covered how they both traveled all over rural Japan to help people in any form they could.

"I figured you'd end up back in the Far East, Danny. But, why didn't you return to **K'un-L'un** as you always said you would?"

"For a brief time, I did return. But, I could not overstay my welcome with the likes of S.H.I.E.L.D. after me. I did not want to put the kingdom at risk because of my presence, so I followed Master Izo to Japan, where I believed I could use my abilities for some good."

"I understand that," she remarked, "But, did you learn anything new?"

Danny simply smiled.

"I have not displayed them yet in battle, but you guys will see, in time."

Then, they all listened as Ava explained what happened to **her** after she escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. They had stationed her with a special operations team in South America before she quickly fought her way out, escaping into the Amazon Rainforest, and eventually finding her way to **Rio de Janeiro** , where she hid alongside the heavy mutant community under the protection of **The Underground**.

She didn't speak on it much, but she did mention the day S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up and began quietly kidnapping mutants, which prompted a string of disappearances across the favelas. The fact that **Kraven** was the one being used to capture them made everything even worse.

"I think I can speak for all of us that we're really glad you're back with us, Ava," Luke assured her, "…especially **Peter**."

They glanced over at Peter, who couldn't help but blush.

"Come on, guys, not here," he joked it off.

"Wait," Sam paused, "…you guys are **still** technically together, right?"

Ava and Peter looked at each other, with Peter realizing that they hadn't really talked about their situation in full just yet. Sure, they held each other close, but **what** were they now that they were together again? Did they still feel the exact same for each other? Did anything change?

"We've still got **a lot** to catch up on, Sam," Peter calmly answered.

"Whatever it is, we want nothing but the **best** for you two, for real," Luke affirmed.

"Thanks."

They talked for a little while longer before the call rang out for **all** the groups to unite at the lower level of the command center that was openly accessible to the rest of the base, including the refugees that they had collected.

* * *

 _In the lower level of the_ _ **command platform**_ _…_

Cutting through a large crowd of whispering refugees, the teams marched towards a large metallic **wall** at the end of the huge atrium-like room in the sub-levels of the platform, where only two horizontal Plexiglas panes on parallel sides of the room looked out into the depths of the ocean.

The heroes knew of the wall and its importance there at Alpha Base. It was the **Memorial Wall** , where the refugees go to place pictures of the ones they've lost over the course of the war. There were thousands upon thousands of pictures taped or glued onto the wall, with small offerings and tributes left from the refugees.

To the refugees, to the troops at R.O.G.U.E., and to the heroes themselves, the wall stood as a motivation, a reminder, for what they're fighting for, and for whom they're fighting to **protect**.

Standing in front of the wall, looking up at it, was **Director Hill** , holding a few small pictures in her hands. Beside her, **Coulson** stood, with a hand on her shoulder.

The teams finally reached her and stood behind her, at the size of a large platoon, they mourned in silence for the ones they've lost.

Peter held Ava's hand through the entire procession, which was mostly silent, with echoes of whispers from the many refugees who were already there.

Some were crying, weeping over those that they've lost.

Peter knew that they were still realizing the reality of the war. Most of them looked like they were normal people, who were living normal lives and were innocent in the face of Reaper's massive invasion.

They didn't deserve this.

He spotted **Aunt May** standing near Coulson, which sent a small flurry of excitement through him, seeing his beloved aunt still alive. Ava saw her too and understood when he left her side to maneuver his way towards her.

At the front, Director Hill held the pictures in her hand tenderly, not noticing **Professor Xavier** roll up next to her, along with Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner.

"They were all **heroes** ," she simply spoke, cutting the silence.

"…as heroes they fought…" Xavier continued, taking a brief sigh.

"…and as heroes they died," Steve concluded.

She walked up to an empty spot on the wall and taped up the pictures in her hands, as carefully as she could, in honor of their memory. She slowly stepped backwards, revealing the fallen and pictures of them in better times.

 **Sharon Carter,**

" **Hank" McCoy,**

 **Natasha Romanoff.**

"They'll **never** be forgotten," Hill calmly pointed out, "… **never**."

"Many more will die," Xavier gravely spoke, "But, that is the cost of war."

"Maybe," Steve sighed, "…but, rest assured. We'll **avenge** them. So long as one of us still stands… we'll **avenge** them."

They watched Banner approach the wall, sadly eyeing Natasha's picture. He took a deep sigh as he reached her picture and murmured something to himself. It was no secret he felt something for her, and that made it that much more heart-wrenching to see.

Peter finally reached May and lightly tapped on her shoulder.

She turned to look at him and she nearly exploded into tears of happiness, embracing him tightly in her arms.

"Peter! Oh my God! You're **alive** , thank God, you're alive!"

He hugged her back but she was nearly squeezing the life out of him. She kept her voice as low as possible as to not disturb the mourning around them.

"Yep! I'm still alive, May!"

After a few seconds of her death-hug, she let go and looked at Peter closely.

"My gosh, Peter! You had me worried **sick**! I didn't think you escaped Manhattan when this whole mess began! I thought you had died! I hadn't heard from you!"

"I'm sorry. There was a lot going on and…"

"Then, I couldn't even **call** you! There was no signal!"

"Yeah, there was a communications block that…"

"But, thank Phil for being able to get me out here! He told me you escaped and were **here** with him! My goodness, Peter!"

"…can I talk now, Aunt May?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just so overwhelmed! I'm **so happy** to see you again, Peter! It's just been a rollercoaster of emotions!"

"I know," he sighed, "There's… there's something I've got to tell you, May. It's a lot to handle, but… it's important that I tell you."

"What is it, Peter?"

"Maybe this isn't the **best** place to say… but…"

Suddenly…

…the alarms began to ring off throughout the **entire** base. Director Hill looked up at one of the blaring sirens and quickly pulled herself out of her state of mourning, back to her director mode. With Coulson and a few armored agents filing behind her, she marched off at a rapid pace back to the upper levels of the platform.

* * *

 _A few nautical miles away from_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

 **Riptide** surfed across the dense surface of the dark ocean, watching as the sun set on the horizon and a dark storm shifted its way towards the entire region.

Behind him, an entire cloaked fleet of **S.H.I.E.L.D.** heli-carriers hovered. At the front of the flight deck of the main tri-carrier flag-ship, _**Judgment**_ , **Ember** stood, eagerly waiting for her counterpart to make the first move.

Within the bridge of the tri-carrier, **Director Jasper Sitwell** stood with his hands clasped behind his back. A slight grin dashed across his face the closer they reached the location of **R.O.G.U.E.'s Headquarters**.

"At last," he spoke, "…the sun sets for the last time over R.O.G.U.E. and their precious headquarters."

* * *

 **A/N** : Again, so sorry this chapter was long guys! We hope that you all **really** enjoyed this and that it answered a few questions while bringing up new ones! We'll work on the next few chapters, but we're trying to set our goal to reach the **2/3** mark by the end of August (see **Chapter Planning List** ).

At the same time, we're looking to take a brief pause so that we can hit up the stories of our readers and give reviews ourselves. I know Afe believes it's important to **give back** to the readers and **empower** their own stories just as they empowered ours. I know he feels bad about not doing so, and I've been doing my best, as you all have, but no need to feel indifferent no longer, we're planning a pause coming up soon where we're just going to take a day and hit up all your stories (At least 1 per our reviewers) and give a good review of all your stories :)

Thanks guys, again, you all are the best for pushing this story through, keep it real, y'all.

\- Jack Montero

\+ I was watching the updates on the story views and just want to give a warm shout out to my homies reading from **Colombia** and **Venezuela**! Gran amor para ustedes! As well for everyone that's reading from around the world!


	36. Attack! On Alpha Base

_**Attack! On Alpha Base**_

* * *

 _On the surface of the ocean over_ _ **Alpha Base**_ _…_

By the time the **S.H.I.E.L.D.** armada arrived at Alpha Base's doorstep, the underwater facility's early warning detection systems alerted **R.O.G.U.E.** to their presence, and the element of surprise was given away…

… **exactly** as planned.

Without a moment's hesitation, the R.O.G.U.E. heli-destroyers stationed activated their defenses and unleashed a barrage of missile fire at the approaching heli-carriers. As expected, they hovered into a defensive blockade to protect the area of water approximately over the base.

 **Ember** , having expected this, jumped forward, off the flight deck of the _**Judgment**_ and into flight using a stream of fire to glide her towards the defensive heli-destroyers. Her hands began to glow a bright orange tone of flames as she charged up her fiery powers.

Dodging the missiles, she circled the blockade of about six or seven heli-destroyers and sped up until a cloud of amber-colored fire began to form **around** the blockade, effectively burning through their shields and causing two of them, closest to the edges of the firestorm to lose critical systems and send them spiraling down towards the ocean.

Panicking, the commanders on-board the heli-destroyers called on aerial support from jet fighters parked on-board the **R.O.G.U.E.** heli-carriers and U.S. Naval aircraft carriers on the water's surface below.

That call was immediately answered, with jets showing up in attack formation as they deployed. They appeared in large groups of red blips on the radar screens of the S.H.I.E.L. -carriers. As expected, S.H.I.E.L. up their own jet fighter squadrons, which outnumbered that of R.O.G.U.E.'s since they were thinly stretched across the globe.

Within minutes, the two factions were openly battling each other in the skies, with each roar of a missile explosion complimented by the boom of thunder as lightning surged across the dark storm all around them.

Ember grinned as she saw the phase of attack progressing smoothly, directing her attention to the R.O.G.U.E heli-carriers beginning to hover towards them in an attempt to rescue the trapped heli-destroyers within the firestorm.

" **I'll** take care of these bozos!" Ember shouted over her communicator, " **You** flush out the base, **Rip**!"

On the surface of the ocean, **Riptide** continued to surf at an incredible speed **towards** the U.S. Naval Fleet, which was already stationed in a defensive blockade.

"…with **pleasure** ," he murmured.

He jumped up off the surface of the water, raising his trident high and hovering slowly above the blockade. He swung it around and used his powerful hydro-abilities to begin **pushing** the water **away** from Alpha Base…

…effectively **draining** the area out, naval warships included.

The draining process was slow, but it was working. The sleek, metallic surface of Alpha Base began to appear as the water level began to lower, exposing the tips of the aquatic communication antennas.

Suddenly, Riptide felt bullets begin deflecting off his back armor. He glanced up and saw jets stream ahead of him.

"Keep them **off** me, Ember! This won't take much longer now!"

"On it, Rip!"

* * *

 _At the bridge of Sitwell's_ _ **flag-ship**_ _…_

On-board _**Judgment**_ , the S.H.I.E.L.D. specialists were busy routing orders and communicating with the specialists on-board the other heli-carriers while **Director Sitwell** watched the battle ensue from the front window overlooking ahead.

He clasped his hands behind his back, grinning ear to ear while R.O.G.U.E.'s heli-destroyers were being set aflame from Ember's firestorm and while the U.S. Naval Fleet was being capsized by Riptide's ocean drain as the edges of the water were pushed away.

All of it was going **according to plan**.

As the water level began draining further and further down, exposing the entirety of Alpha Base and its immense platforms, Sitwell gave the order for the heli-carriers to deploy the full might of their armored troops to take over the platforms.

The call went out and troops were readily transported down towards the circular landing pads that were exposed from the ocean drain in a storm of troop transports.

* * *

 _Inside one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. troop transports…_

The sounds of clunking armor and rattling of the hull surged through the main cabin of the modified Quinjet troop transport. About twenty or so troops stood, all facing the rear ramp of the transport, lined up in three columns. They made last minute checks on their weapons and armor while the pilots maneuvered past the laser and missile-fire from the enemy fleet.

"Switch on your communicators, troops!" the commanding agent ordered from the rear of the columns.

As they did so, they heard **Director Sitwell's** voice project across their communicators.

"Agents, the **time** has come. I send you forward in our final killing blow against these **terrorists** , who have done nothing but place the entire world in **jeopardy**. Today marks the **end** of this insolent resistance and the **first** of many victories for **S.H.I.E.L.D.!** Your commanders have their orders. Ensure that this entire base is secured. **Godspeed**."

Some of them were beyond nervous, with a lack of confidence in their leader's words.

One of them began breathing heavily, having never been in combat before. He was now worried for his life, glancing over to his fellow agents for some sign of confidence.

They felt the sensation of falling finally come to an end as the descent leveled out. The troop commander ordered them to make ready to dash out into the fray.

The rear ramp's entry clamps snapped open and the door fell forward. Within seconds, the troops facing the ramp were gunned down by laserfire from enemy R.O.G.U.E. agents taking cover from the other side of the dim-lit landing bay. The troops behind them rushed forward to take cover behind anything they could find.

As more troop transports began landing, their numbers were bolstering, and steadily pushing the enemy troops **into** the base itself.

* * *

 _Inside the hangar bay…_

The circular bay's only exit was through a main corridor where R.O.G.U.E. agents were making their stand, doing everything in their power to prevent the S.H.I.E.L.D. troops from forwarding through into the rest of the bay and into the base.

Just as they were being pushed back…

…an **arrow** whizzed out from behind them, squarely through the chestplate of a S.H.I.E.L.D. trooper. Dazed and confused, the trooper couldn't react fast enough before the arrow **exploded** , taking out a number of agents out with him.

"Fall back to the command platform!" **Hawkeye** ordered out to the troops, drawing out his bow and shooting off several arrows to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. back.

A few obeyed while others tried to help keep them back.

"Y'all heard him!" **Gambit** was heard shouting, running up behind Hawkeye to deliver a surge of kinetic energy against the troops with the might of his metal staff.

"They're pushing into the hangar bay, guys! Where are we on the evacuation procedure?!" Hawkeye questioned into his earpiece while shooting off more arrows as both he and Gambit began to fall back.

"Emergency heli-carriers are spinning up," Coulson answered over the radio, "Captain, Stark, what's your status?"

* * *

 _In the firestorm above…_

The R.O.G.U.E. heli-carriers were engaged in a heavy firefight against their enemy counterparts in the skies above, all while trying to free the trapped **heli-destroyers** from Ember's firestorm. Without their help, their defense is greatly weakened against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s bolstered offensive.

Ember's laugh was heard throughout the ambience as she glided across the skies in a vibrant blaze of fire, burning through enemy ships and jets alike. Throughout her fiery dance, she wasn't able to see a **Quinjet** sneak through the firestorm and **onto** one of the trapped heli-destroyers.

 **Black Panther** , **Captain America** , **Bucky** , and **Dr. Strange** unloaded off in a rush, giving the Quinjet seconds to take off again towards another heli-carrier.

"We're on it, Coulson," Steve radioed back from the flight deck, "We'll see if we can't take down their enhanced friend so that we can free these guys from the firestorm!"

"Any ideas on that?" Stark questioned while he was at the helm of the Quinjet.

 **Thor** grabbed ahold of a handle on the side of the rear ramp, peeking out into the storm and eyeing the maniacal **Ember** continuing to rip through the R.O.G.U.E. blockade.

"I've **one**."

Stark glanced back at the god of thunder.

"What?"

He merely smiled at Stark as he spun up **Mjolnir** and shot himself out through the rear ramp.

"I hate when he does that," Stark murmured, "Okay, guys, look alive! The rockstar just jumped off the jet!"

Cap and his team looked up to see an electrical pulse slash through the skies, followed by a very loud crack of **thunder.**

Ember looked up just in time to get knocked out of the sky by a sharp bolt of **lightning**. She regained flight and charged up her fiery powers to beam columns of fire at Thor. But, the god of thunder dodged quickly through each attack, flying close enough to throw Mjolnir at Ember's stomach, slamming her against the hull of a S.H.I.E.L.D. heli-carrier.

"I'll distract her for as long as I can!" Thor alerted the others, "…be careful about the other one!"

"What about the firestorm?!" Steve questioned.

"I'll handle that," Strange assured him, "Just watch my back, this might take a while."

The Sorcerer Supreme suddenly jumped up off the deck of the heli-carrier they landed on and began hovering in mid-air, drawing on his magical abilities to try and force the firestorm to dissipate.

Just as he was doing so, a formation of S.H.I.E.L.D. fighter jets flew by, unleashing a fury of bullet-fire to try and knock the magician down.

"I said **watch my back**!"

"We've got this," Bucky calmly assured him, drawing out a heavy rifle slung on his back and aiming down at the fighter jets as they fast approached.

"Let's just hope Director Hill can evac everyone in time!" T'Challa commented as they took cover from another hail of bullet-fire.

* * *

 _On-board the command platform…_

The sudden attack from S.H.I.E.L.D. had thrown everything into disarray. Communications with their teams around the globe were severed and they were now sitting ducks with the might of the S.H.I.E.L.D. armada at their doorstep. Despite this, they had already ran countless defense training scenarios that had prepared them for this moment. Emergency life-ships were being fast-deployed to evacuate all the refugees on-board the underwater base to **Wakanda**.

But, they hadn't counted on **Vanguard mutates** to help in the attack.

"Deploy the remaining fighter squadrons from our heli-carriers to help buy us time!" Hill ordered, "What's our evacuation progress at, Coulson!?"

Coulson, by her side and at the command terminal, quickly answered.

"Less than 30%!"

Behind her, **Peter** and his teammates waited for further instruction. While the **Avengers** and the **X-Men** brought the fight to S.H.I.E.L.D., **Specter Haven** , the **Defenders** ,and the **Guardians of the Galaxy** helped in the evacuation process. That left Peter, Ava, Luke, Danny, and Sam as the last line of defense on the command platform.

"This is bullshit," Sam complained, "We should be out **there** , fighting!"

"We must not rush a confrontation," Danny warned.

"My ass we shouldn't. We're just here twiddling our thumbs watching Hill lose her head!"

"Danny's right, Sam. You've got to keep your cool," Luke concurred.

"At least you guys can handle the fight. I don't have my costume or my gear to put up anything other than my acrobatic hand-to-hand," Ava sighed.

"All I've got is these," Peter showed them his web-shooters.

"Yeeeaaaah. Sorry about ruining your costume, Pete."

"If there's **one** person who's allowed to get away with taking off my costume, it's **you** , Ava," he flirted.

She warmly smiled back.

"Oh **sure** , let's take a moment to just flirt while the **ENTIRE BASE** is on fire!" Sam sarcastically shouted.

The platform began to shake as the bombardment from S.H.I.E.L.D. began to rupture the outer hull. In that moment, Director Hill ordered **everyone** to the refugee platform to finalize the evacuation process. She ordered Coulson to follow the agents as she stayed behind with the rest of the team.

She glanced back at them.

"You five, follow me."

"About time!" Sam commented.

They all followed Hill down the commander's terminal and into the lower levels of the command platform. In a small vault-like room, was an armory. Most of the weapons and gear had been stripped off its holding racks, but there was a stack of black field cases with Wakandan symbols engraved on them that were still locked tight on the far end.

Hill took out a key from her pocket and jumbled it into each of them, waiting until the last one was unlocked before opening them all. The others all looked at each other in confusion, wondering what the hell she was doing.

"Um… Director Hill?" Peter broke the silence.

When she opened them, she revealed **their** costumes. Or at least, heavily modified versions of their original costumes.

"His majesty, King T'Challa, went ahead and requisitioned these to be made according to your sizes. His sister, Shuri, personally saw to their design and capabilities according to your powers," Hill urgently explained, "We used the sizes from your old costumes, so if they're a little snug, try losing some weight."

Danny's new costume was completely green, but designed with yellow streaks across its arms, with the forearms exposed. The iconic black dragon icon was still marvelously printed on the chest.

Luke's costume was heavily armored, with shock pads geared around his forearms and shoulders to absorb kinetic energy and expel them the moment he makes impact with an opposing force.

To her expressed joy, Ava was outfitted with a new White Tiger outfit. Instead of the signature grayish tiger stripes on her original costume, they redesigned it with black stripes with an enhanced kinetic energy-absorbing material much like the Black Panther costume King T'Challa utilizes.

And lastly, Spidey was equipped with a new vibranium-infused costume with a dark blue and red primary color tone and a white color for the web pattern on the signature look of the Spider-Man costume.

"Holy crap," Peter subtly exclaimed.

"Not bad. Mine's still better, though…" Sam joked.

"Alright," Hill stated after giving the team a moment to look at their costumes, "Suit up, meet me near the main evacuation site."

The team looked at each other, realizing then that Hill was about to place them right in the middle of the fray. She marched off, out of the armory…

…with her pistol withdrawn and gripped in hand.

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

Tombstone continued to monitor the progress of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attack on Alpha Base diligently. To his right, Moros observed as well on the holographic war table. They both stood silently, watching Ember put up a fiery fight against the Avengers. They were underestimating her at every move, but she was continuously running into trouble from Dr. Strange's magical abilities that were preventing her from causing further damage to the ships.

Moros zoomed the hologram in on **Strange** , specifically, the amulet he wore around his neck. He squinted as he tried to identify the glowing item encased inside of it.

"Is that…?"

Tombstone shifted closer, getting a clearer look. His eyes widened once he could see what it was. He turned to Moros and simply nodded.

"...another Infinity Gem."

* * *

 _In the skies over Alpha Base…_

With the combined efforts of the Avengers, **Ember** was beginning to get tired. Her flame attacks were weakening, presumably from an agitating spell that the magician set on her. She was becoming defenseless and wouldn't be long now before they overwhelmed her and shot her out of the sky completely.

She retreated to Sitwell's flag-ship and perched herself on one of the turrets, opening her communications link with Riptide, who was busy trying to lead S.H.I.E.L.D. troops through the internal corridors of the base.

"Rip! I'm getting shredded up here!"

She tried to catch her breath but saw that the magician was moving in on her once again, sending a debilitating sound spell that felt like it was ripping her ear drums off.

"Argh!"

The mutate grabbed for her ears but subtly passed out from the intensity of the spell.

Strange watched as she fell off the flag-ship turret and hurdled towards the ocean's surface. Until then, **Riptide** shot up from the water, having responded quickly to Ember's call, and grabbed her before she hit the water at full speed.

Once he hit the ocean's surface, he surfed around, holding her body in his arms, and returned to Alpha Base.

"What are you doing?!" Sitwell angrily shouted over the comm link, "My ships need air defense up here!"

"We're not going to kill yourselves over your pathetic fleet, Sitwell," Riptide snapped back, "We have **one mission** here."

"Your mission is to help me! Your master instructed…"

"Our **master** gave us one order. You were just an accessory."

Without another word, Rip tore the earpiece out and carried Ember's body towards another platform of the base, away from where he was leading S.H.I.E.L.D.'s men.

* * *

 _On-board Sitwell's flag-ship…_

Enraged, the S.H.I.E.L.D. director ordered his men to prepare a Quinjet to escort him down to the base, where he would personally lead his men to slaughtering the rest of R.O.G.U.E.

"I want them all **dead**!" he shouted, "Have my Quinjet ready **now**!"

"Sir," one of his lieutenants interrupted, "What about the refugees? What will we do about them?"

Sitwell's eyes flashed a bright red for a split moment.

"To **hell** with them! I want all ship cannons aimed at those life-ships! The moment they take off, we fire indiscriminately!"

This order raised up eyebrows amongst everyone at the bridge. They were astonished. Did the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. _just_ order them to fire upon civilian refugees? Without another moment for explanation, Sitwell stormed off towards the flight deck, leaving the specialists at the bridge severely pondering whether they were doing the right thing or not.

* * *

 _Inside the mess hall platform…_

Riptide tore through the metallic hull of the platform and landed squarely in the middle of the mess hall. It was empty, having been abandoned in a rush with some trays of food still left on the tables. The sounds of the refugees crying to get on-board the life-ships were faintly audible throughout the ambience, with the booming sounds of cannon-fire interrupting every few seconds outside.

The overhead lights slowly began to dim and flicker, as central power generators on-board the platform began to fail from the constant barrage from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s forces.

The mutate gently placed his fallen comrade down on one of the tables, resting her on her back. Her ears were steadily bleeding and the flaming glow in her hands had simmered. Her heart was beating fast too.

Slowly, she began to open her eyes, recovering from her unconsciousness.

"You okay?!" he shouted.

She swiftly slapped him across his helmet.

"Why are you yelling, idiot?! Can't you see my eardrums are blown out?!"

"Well, come on! Get back to the fight. This isn't over yet!"

"I can't," she grunted, "That wizard's got some moves on him. Not to mention their lightning god. I can't handle them on my own, Rip."

"You can't say that! We're here on Reaper's orders."

"I know," she sighed, sitting up and grasping her right side, "…Those Avengers are **no joke**. You and me alone can't handle them all. We need **our forces** , we need Moros and Tombstone…"

"We **don't** need them!" he snapped, "We can handle this on our own!"

"Not at this rate, Rip. But…"

She finally forced herself back on her feet, igniting the flaming powers in her hands.

"…we'll be dead either way. I'd rather die out here than at the hands of our master."

"We're **not** going to die."

Riptide was so confidant in his words, so ready to return to the fray of the fight. But, he had seen now that Ember was losing the will to continue on her own.

The two of them weren't remotely ready to handle a direct fight against the combined strength of the forces they tackled. It wouldn't be long now until S.H.I.E.L.D.'s armada falls.

* * *

 _In the skies above…_

With Ember out of the fight, the firestorm around the R.O.G.U.E. blockade dissipated, freeing the remaining heli-destroyers and bringing them back into the battle. Both factions began exchanging cannon-fire at their full might. Fighter squadrons supplemented the freed heli-destroyers, helping keep S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fighters out of the skies.

The Avengers kept up their assault, turning the tide of the battle into an offensive against their attackers. Thor's control of the lightning around him allowed him to eviscerate whole groups of fighter jets with the power of Mjolnir. Dr. Strange, at his side, used his ability to manipulate the mirror dimension to isolate sections of the battle, keeping parts of the R.O.G.U.E. fleet intact while he routed the flow of the battle **away** from the base.

"Status report," Stark ordered over the radio chat.

"We're evacuating the last of the refugees now," Hawkeye answered.

"Yeeeeep, and we're keeping the stragglers off the life-ships. Are we about to dip out or not?" Star-Lord brought up.

"We need to delay S.H.I.E.L.D. here as long as possible," Hill sternly responded.

"Wait," Phantom's voice then cut through the chatter.

"What?"

"Where are the Vanguard mutates? Where did they land?"

* * *

 _In the corridors near the mess hall…_

Peter and the team ran through the emptied corridors. With the power generators finally giving away throughout most of the base, they were running in almost complete darkness. Sam's energetic ambience illuminated the pathway, but it didn't help that it was eerily silent, with the ambient noises of cannon-fire heard overhead.

Nova led the way, keeping the team behind him.

"How much longer, Sam?" Luke asked after they made a sharp turn.

"Uhh…."

"We should have gotten to the evacuation site by now!" Danny remarked.

"Ehhhh…."

"I think we passed by that window already…" Peter pointed out.

"Well…. I…"

"You don't know where you're going, do you, Sam?" Ava sighed in question.

He stopped short of the entrance to the mess hall platform.

"Well, I **thought** the evacuation platform was **this** way!"

"Did you not read the signs back there?" Luke questioned.

"I mean, I **did** but they had like ten different arrows pointing to a hundred different places. You'd think they would invest in better navigation of this place."

Ava rolled her eyes.

"Typical buckethead."

"Watch it, Tiger! I'm doing my best here!"

"Well, where are we now?" Peter looked around, noticing the entrance to the messhall.

"I'm pretty sure we're not going to stop by for a quick snack. I think if we follow this corridor down **that** way, we'll end up at the evac platform," Sam pointed out.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps softly echo throughout the messhall.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows beneath his mask.

"Did you guys hear that?"

The rest of them nodded. Ava placed her finger against her masked mouth to signal for them to go quiet.

Slowly, they approached the entrance to the mess hall. The door had slid halfway open. It must've lost power halfway through opening or closing so it remained stuck in place.

Once inside, they snuck closer to the center of the large room, where they heard the source of the noise. As they reached it, they could make out the glowing flames of Ember, one of the Vanguard mutates.

"Come on, Ember! We're wasting time!"

They recognized the male's voice. It was Riptide. His heavily armored figure clunked around the glowing ambience of Ember, growing impatient. His hammerhead shark helmet greatly distorted his silhouette to make him look more like a creature than a humanoid.

"We need to rethink our strategy here, Rip. We can't handle all of them out there."

"You're being a coward."

"I would like **not** to die, Rip."

"You **just** said we'll be dead either way!"

"I **know** what I said! It doesn't help our situation here!"

She sighed.

The team observed closely, watching the mutates argue.

"Then what should we do **now**?" Riptide angrily questioned.

Ember sat against a fallen table, wrapping her arms around her legs and placing her head on her knees. She obviously wasn't sure of what to do.

Peter ordered his teammates to take position **around** the opening to the center of the mess hall. That way, once he gave the signal, they could spring down on them.

"Wait, we're going to take on **them**?" Sam nervously and quietly asked.

"It's just two of them. We can handle it." Luke observed.

"Vanguard mutates. We can take on Vanguard mutates. Are you serious?"

"They are vulnerable. We have the upper hand," Danny remarked.

"Didn't one of them almost **kill** Fox when you guys were in D.C.?"

"Sshhhhh, they're talking," Ava interrupted.

Ember finally stood up to look at her counterpart in the face.

"We need to contact the master for further instruction."

Riptide hesitated for a moment.

"You're out of your mind, Ember. That will make us look cowardly."

"We should appeal to get Moros and Tombstone out here to help us in the fight. We could defeat the combined R.O.G.U.E. forces here and now!"

He sighed.

"Fine."

He withdrew a cylindrical metallic device and placed it on the floor in front of them. It beeped for a moment, seeming to be some sort of beacon.

"Crap. I hope Reaper isn't planning to show up soon," Peter whispered to himself.

Suddenly, a blue hologram projected from the top of the device and Reaper appeared before them, sitting on a metallic throne adorned with bones and skulls of the same material. His red eyes beamed from behind the helmet's mask.

"This better be good," Reaper's voice echoed menacingly throughout the mess hall.

"Master… we've…" Riptide tried to find the words to explain their situation.

"We need additional support, master," Ember butted in, "We cannot face the full might of R.O.G.U.E. on our own. We'd like Moros and Tombstone on our side here."

A moment of silence followed. Reaper's expressionless presence puzzled the two mutates for a moment, before finally he answered.

"I send two of my finest mutates… only to be told that you **cannot** complete this mission on your own? What am I to make of this?"

"Master, she didn't mean that…."

"And **now** , you expect me to abandon my few remaining mutates guarding Manhattan to make up for **your** failures?"

"We wish only to complete your wishes, master, we…"

" **Enough**!" He shouted, slamming his armrest with his fist. It sent red sparks of electricity as he did so.

"You've both have resigned yourselves to your fates. You've failed as my mutates. If you do, somehow, survive this skirmish, then you will die by my hand upon your return."

"No…. No, but master…"

Riptide fell to his knees, holding up his hands to try and beg him for forgiveness.

As Riptide did so, Reaper glanced up and spotted Peter sticking his head out from the upper-floor.

"It looks like you've both got company," he chuckled.

"Shit, cover's blown," Sam quietly whispered.

Without a second thought, Peter sprang forward into action, shooting a blast of web towards the device and shutting off the transmission to Reaper.

Riptide withdrew his trident and Ember's fiery powers activated onto her hands.

The rest of the team followed, jumping behind Peter to back him up.

"What now?" Luke murmured.

They stared each other down for a few moments. Riptide held his trident up at them, ready to fight, with Ember ready to do the same. The moment was tense.

Peter decided to cut the tension with humor.

"Sounds like things aren't going to plan, guys. Big bad dad doesn't want to help out?"

"You're the least of his concerns for now, **bug** ," Riptide snapped.

"Ah, crap, and here I thought we could parlay, come to some sort of agreement?"

Ember laughed in an almost haughty manner.

"Us… work with **you**? Please. We're not stupid."

"Looks like we're going to have to settle this the hard way, then," Peter sighed.

* * *

 **A/N** : Hey my dudes! Sorry for the late chap update! College is kickin' my ass! x(, hope everyone had a good summer. Whether y'all worked or what not, always good to take a break, ya know? So, I'm goin to go ahead and take another look at this chapter planning list. we're still shooting for a 2019 completion date, so keep an eye on it, plz.

much love, Jack m.


	37. Showdown

_**Showdown**_

* * *

 _At a Resistance outpost in Lower East Side Manhattan…_

General Fury was escorted back to a secure location in the Lower East Side, where an enclave of Resistance soldiers was posted with a number of civilians. The location itself was a hollow within a massive pile of debris leftover from a building toppling over. It was stable enough to lay low there.

He spent an hour getting examined by the medic while two of the lieutenants posted there briefed him on the situation.

"Where are the civilians we were able to save from my party?" Fury firmly asked, "… _before_ we were ambushed."

"They stayed put in the tunnels until one of our other teams found them. Unfortunately, a pack of Wraiths had discovered them, and we were only able to save _half_ of them," one of the lieutenants, a red-haired woman, responded.

Fury gritted his teeth, balling his right fist at hearing this.

"I need to contact Director Hill right away."

The two lieutenants looked at each other, a gesture that Fury noticed.

"What is it?"

"Sir," the other lieutenant, a black-bearded man started, "…we lost communications with Alpha Base about an hour or so ago. We haven't re-established transmissions since."

"Get a communicator on the equipment. Is it on our end?"

"No, sir. Our intel analysts believe S.H.I.E.L.D. has begun to lay siege on the base out in the Pacific."

The general closed his eye and took a soft sigh.

Now, he was unsure of the future of R.O.G.U.E. If Sitwell had finally found the nerve to attack R.O.G.U.E.'s headquarters directly, then their only fighting chance against Reaper might've just been lost.

"Are you both still trying to re-establish a link?"

"Yes, sir. We have our communicators trying to work a transmission around the clock," the male lieutenant answered.

"But sir, that's not the only issue we're facing. We're losing the connections to other outposts on the upper sides of Manhattan. Our posts in Harlem have gone silent, past our emergency time windows, which means…"

"…they're lost," Fury finished for her, "We're effectively _losing_ the island."

"And rations are depleting at an alarming rate, general. Soon, we won't have enough to feed neither the civilians or the troops."

This was an increasingly problematic situation. If the RSF has begun to eliminate their outposts in the upper side of Manhattan, it was only a matter of time before this sweeping campaign reaches them. Without assurances from R.O.G.U.E. or their superhero assets, he knew that he needed to make one last stand. He needed to regroup all Resistance assets and form a singular defensive line in the lower parts of the island, closest to the upper bay.

"We're running out of time. We need to proceed with our duty here, whatever the costs."

"What can we do, general? All routes out of the city have been cut off. Sentinel patrols have increased along the waters surrounding the water…"

Fury got on his feet, off the medical gurney he had been sitting on. The medic finished his examination and left him alone.

"There is _no running_ from this evil, lieutenant. If S.H.I.E.L.D. has brought the fight to R.O.G.U.E. then we need to bring the fight to the RSF with all we've got at our disposal. Order up the officers in the remaining outposts. Tell them to begin movements to the lower side of the island, towards the financial district. We'll bolster our numbers and bring the assault to them head-on from the lower side."

"But, general… we don't have the manpower or the resources to fully take on the RSF by ourselves."

"I'm _fully aware_ of that. We have no choice in the matter anymore. If we keep wrangling up the civilians like cattle then we're only presenting the Reaper with more livestock to convert or slaughter…"

He glanced around the hollow, seeing scores of civilians nestled in groups with blankets, surrounding a barrel with a fire burning inside to keep them warm.

"…from this moment on, the civilians are to be _fully armed_ and part of our ranks."

The lieutenants looked at each other once more, realizing the gravity of the general's request.

"That will take time, sir," the female lieutenant calmly responded.

"How long?"

"A week, at most, to both have the outposts migrate to the lower part of the island and to equip the civilians."

"Then so be it. You have your orders. Now go."

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

Moros and Tombstone continued to monitor the battle between S.H.I.E.L.D. and R.O.G.U.E. closely on the holograph hovering above their war table at the bridge. They both studied the types of attacks and the strategies that the Avengers displayed in their fight against S.H.I.E.L.D. They did the same in the other universes they've traveled to, recording their enemy's fighting styles and coming up with their own offensive strategies for when the fight is taken to them.

They learned this from Reaper, who, in his respective timeline, was taught how to use combat-mimicking abilities from Taskmaster. Although it wasn't as perfect as Taskmaster's, it allowed him to think ten steps ahead, making Reaper a master tactician.

Reaper wasn't at the bridge with his remaining Vanguard mutates. After the call with Riptide and Ember, he skulked off to the room where he was holding Maria. He had removed her from her restraints and simply chained her to the corner with shackles, to give her some movement so that she could eat the food he gave her.

She was sleeping, with her front side against the wall, when he entered. He observed her naked form carefully, while keeping himself at a distance. Shortly after his arrival, she awoke, presumably from the screaming effect.

Once she spotted him, she covered herself and sat with her back against the corner of the room.

"What do _you_ want?"

He didn't answer. He simply sat down, on the floor, his armor clunking as he rested his back against the wall perpendicular to her corner.

"I sometimes tire of speaking only to my mutates. It's been a long time since I simply 'spoke' with anyone, especially with you."

"I have nothing to say to you."

He didn't answer hearing this. He just simply looked down at the floor in front of him, his red eyes glowing through his mask.

"I am not the monster you perceive me to be, Maria. Why can't you see this?"

She simply sighed.

"If you can't see what you're doing is _wrong_ then there is no point answering that."

"I will do what I must to save this planet from the plague humanity has brought upon it."

She didn't answer to this, just stared off into the wall ahead of her, avoiding his gaze.

He studied her expression for a brief moment before resuming his focus on the floor.

"Can I ask you something?" She suddenly asked.

"Of course."

"What happens if this all falls apart for you?"

"What do you mean?"

She turned to glare right into his eyes.

"What happens if the Avengers or somebody shows up to finally defeat you? Your army goes down, what then? Will you surrender?"

"You ask this as though it's a remote possibility," he humored, "I assure you, it's **not**."

"Then why avoid the question?"

Reaper's expression beneath his mask turned vile. He knew what the alternative was. But, he didn't feel like expressing that to her. He knew well that she wouldn't understand.

Instead, he got onto his feet, and turned to leave the room.

"Answer me, Alejandro," she calmly ordered.

He stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder to her.

"…then this entire universe will perish at my hands. It will be gone in the blink of an eye."

* * *

 _Inside the evacuation platform at Alpha Base…_

The Defenders and Specter Haven all helped escort the remaining refugees onto the last life-ships available. Coulson finished doing the math and discovered too late that there wasn't enough life-ships to help evacuate the remaining refugees. He turned to Director Hill, Phantom, Phantasm, Professor Xavier, and Cable, who were overseeing the evacuation process.

"We won't have enough ships to finish evacuating everyone," he gravely pointed out.

"Shit," Hill sighed, "quickly, what are our options to get everyone else out?"

A loud boom shook the entire platform. A missile must've hit the hull.

"We can use Dr. Strange's teleportation magic to escort everyone else," Xavier suggested.

"No, he's providing a great deal of support up there against S.H.I.E.L.D.," Cable retorted, "What about the other ships we have in our arsenal? The _Eidolon_ , The _Milano_ , for example."

"That's a great idea," Phantasm concurred, "There's enough room in The _Eidolon's_ lower level to house a good number of people."

"And we can divert the remaining Quinjets we have to help people out," Coulson added.

"We need pilots to commandeer the Quinjets, then," Hill pointed out, "The last pilots we have are flying the life-ships."

"We've got able pilots on the teams. We just need to assign them to the Quinjets," Phantom gave a solution.

"I hope I don't regret this."

* * *

 _Inside the cockpit of one of the Quinjets…_

"I hope you know what you're doing," Frank Castle murmured to Deadpool as he fooled around at the pilot's controls.

"Why does _everyone_ underestimate me?! Don't you know that's how you get killed… by me?"

"I'd rather not have people _die_ because the dumbass driving this train flies us right into the water."

"It's actually a _jet_ , Franky-boy. I know grunts like you don't know jack about flying."

"And you do?"

"Good point!"

They began filing refugees in, having them take their seats along the inner hull of the jet and strapping in. Women and children were closer to the cockpit while everyone else stayed close to the rear ramp.

"Try to stay in formation once we're in the air," Frank pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know how this works! Let me tell you about the time I flew Taskmaster's personal heli-carrier over Manhattan!"

Castle shook his head as he walked out of the rear ramp. Deadpool glanced back at the refugees as the rear ramp closed. The looks of fear were evident in their faces. Some of the women were crying, holding their children close to them. Some of the men's hands shook nervously, unsure of their fate.

Near the pilot's chair, he spotted a little girl. Her mother appeared to be Indian and she was trying to console her toddler, who was crying in fear.

"Ssshhhh," Deadpool placed his finger on his mouth, "Don't cry, little girl. It'll be okay! You've got _me_ as your pilot! I won't let anything happen to you!"

She continued to cry.

"Hmm… let me see if I can fix this."

He reached into his dufflebag underneath the pilot controls and pulled out a half-burnt stuffed animal that looked like a cross between a teddy bear and a bunny. He held it out for the little girl and she gradually ceased to cry when her eyes fixated on the stuffed animal. She reached out for it and slowly took it from his hands, holding it tight.

Her mother smiled, seeing this kind gesture from the masked mercenary.

"There, no more crying now, okie dokie? And don't tell Cable. That's _his_ stuffed animal I took from him when he wasn't looking."

* * *

"I hope this works," Coulson sighed, watching as different members from the teams took position inside a hangar bay full of Quinjets.

"Me too," Hill responded.

They both turned to see Phantom and Phantasm approach them.

"Director," he started, "I'm taking my daughter, Wren, Fox, Wolfe, and Firewalker back into the interior of the base to find the Vanguard mutates that landed. While they're still here, they remain a threat."

"Speaking of which… Where is Parker and the others? I told them to meet me here after they were finished suiting up with the new suits from Wakanda."

Coulson pulled up the navigation map on his communicator.

"It's reading that they're in the main messhall platform."

"What are they doing there?" Phantasm inquired.

"Wait," Phantom interrupted, "…isn't that where Riptide and Ember landed?"

* * *

 _Inside the main messhall platform…_

"Stand down, Spider-Man," Riptide warned, keeping his trident trained on them, "We are no match for you."

Nova burst out laughing.

"Seriously, guys? We _just_ heard you guys whine and complain about not being 'strong enough' to face everyone. I'm calling your bluff."

"For the Avengers, maybe. But, you're just a bunch of _kids_ ," Ember chuckled, "Just give up. I'd hate to have to barbecue a bunch of children."

"We are _not_ children!" Iron Fist furiously pointed out, concentrating his chi into his fists.

"Prove us wrong, then," Riptide simply stated.

Without a second to hesitate, Riptide lifted his trident, and channeled a violent stream of ocean water to come crashing through the hole in the platform's ceiling, and directly onto the team.

The water washed them away from each other in different directions.

With ocean water beginning to flood the cafeteria, Ember activated her powers and hovered above the water to stay dry. As the young heroes were getting back on their feet, Ember unleashed blasts of fire through her hands at each of them.

Nova reacted first, shooting through the air to push Iron Fist out of the way of the blasts, getting him to the higher levels of the messhall. He glanced down and saw Spidey shoot a line of webbing to swing both himself and Tiger up to the upper level.

"Where's Power Man?!"

Spidey looked back down. Riptide was beginning to manipulate the water around him to form huge walls of water and lashing them out at Luke, who was punching through to try and get to him.

"Hey big guy!" Nova shouted, floating down towards him, "Need some back up?!"

Finally, Luke had broken through to Riptide and reached to disarm him. He swung his right fist deep and punched the mutate at the stomach, but his fist seemed to bounce right off. Riptide was too heavily armored.

Swiftly, the mutate swung his trident violently and slashed Luke across his chest, throwing him backwards all the way to the wall.

"Oh no you don't!" Nova shouted, shooting several beams of energy at Riptide, who jumped forward to dodge the beams.

Above them, Ember began laying siege upon the others. They were running away from her while she gained on them from above, continuously shooting balls of fire at them. They jumped and pushed past tables and chairs to keep from getting burnt.

"We can't run from her forever, guys!" Tiger pointed out.

"Any ideas?!" Spidey asked, taking a quick peek back.

Iron Fist saw a metallic platform sticking up from a pile of broken tables coming up in their way. He saw an opportunity.

"Hey guys! On my mark, turn around!"

"Are you crazy?!" Spidey blurted out in confusion.

"Trust me! Once you see your opening, do not hold back!"

Finally, they reached the platform on the other side of the messhall.

Without missing a step, Iron Fist ran forward, jumped onto the platform, and used it to bounce backwards. As he glided across the air towards Ember, he charged up the chi in his right fist, and punched her across the face.

She crashed down onto the floor.

"Now!"

Tiger and Spidey turned around and didn't hesitate.

Using the super-improved vibranium web-shooters from his suit, he was able to shoot out multiple shots of strong webbing to pin Ember onto the ground.

"You got it, Tiger!"

"With pleasure."

She ran towards the downed mutate and withdrew her claws. Drawing on the balanced powers from her Jade Tiger Amulet, she unleashed a flurry of slash attacks while Ember was down.

"Argh! Get off me, bitch!"

The mutate cried out in pain, but quickly recovered and reignited her flames, burning off the webbing and getting back up into the air.

In the lower level, the water level was beginning to rise. Luke had to climb a pile of debris to stay above the water. Nova, on the other hand, was continuing to blast beams of energy at Riptide, trying to keep him from trying to drown Luke.

One of the blasts caught Riptide by the side of his hammerhead helmet, slicing off half of the iconic hammerhead figure.

"Argh!"

Riptide backflipped onto a platform in the level above. Nova took a quick glance below and saw Luke making his way up towards the level Riptide was on now from the pile of debris. By now, the lower level they had started on was completely flooded.

"Impressive," Riptide then spoke, holding the sliced part of his helmet with his left hand, "I see now why my master had such interest in you all those years ago."

"Ugh, don't remind me of that. It _sucked_."

"My master _did_ say you were the most insolent one of them all."

"Aw, I'm flattered."

Nova tried to shoot off another blast of energy at Riptide, but the mutate jumped off the platform and dodged it.

"Just stay still!" Nova shouted, "I promise it'll be quick!"

As he dodged another blast, Riptide swung his trident forward and sent a wave of water rushing up from the lower levels and blew Nova down to the floor next to him.

Nova tried to get back up, but the mutate rushed towards him and stomped his boot onto Nova's back, pinning him to the ground.

"You're a fool for denying my master's will, Nova. He once favored you above the others, even Spider-Man. But, it's obvious. You are weak."

"Grrr… trying to get into my head… that's _so_ old, dude!"

"Even now you try to use humor to save your sanity. Pathetic child."

Nova looked over his shoulder and saw Luke finally get through the debris and onto the level they were currently on. He slowly approached them while Riptide's back was turned to him.

"Well, you might think I'm weak… but one of my best friends _definitely_ isn't! Now, Luke!"

"Huh?"

Before Riptide could react, Luke rushed forward and punched him off of Nova. He tried to raise his trident to defend himself, but Luke grabbed it by the shaft and disarmed him, tossing it aside while he delivered a pattern of timed punches at the weak parts to his armor.

Finally, Nova came up behind Luke and delivered the final blow to Riptide. Luke jumped out of the way as his most powerful blast of energy tore right through the Vanguard mutate's armor plating, knocking him out of the fight.

"Well, now that that's done…"

"Not so fast, buckethead. We still got to help the others."

Luke pointed to the level above them to see it was practically on fire from Ember's continuous blasts of fire.

"Ah, shit. Let's go!"

* * *

 _Back in the evacuation platform…_

With Specter Haven and the Reality Jumpers en-route to aid the young superheroes, Director Hill gave the go-ahead for the last life-ships and Quinjets to take flight off the platform, finally clearing Alpha Base of the refugees.

The director, Agent Coulson and a team of R.O.G.U.E. agents were the last ones within the platform. They were prepping up a Quinjet to fly them up towards the main R.O.G.U.E. tri-carrier, _**Justice**_ _**I**_ , that will serve as Director Hill's flag-ship.

As she walked down towards the Quinjet, she spoke with Coulson.

"I want regular updates from the lead life-ship on the route to Wakanda, I want _no_ surprises out in the ocean from the RSF."

"Don't worry. King T'Challa has assured us that they'll be safe upon arrival to the African continent, so long as they follow the flight-plan."

"Good. What's the status of the battle?"

"Steady, we're beginning to push back the S.H.I.E.L.D…"

Suddenly, a missile flew out from the platform's hangar opening and destroyed the director's Quinjet, killing the pilot inside.

"What the!?"

A Quinjet with the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia hovered into the platform from the darkness outside. It activated its front lights and completely blinded Hill and her agents.

"Who is that?!" Coulson inquired.

Her team of agents moved forward, training their rifles upon the Quinjet. But, before they could get in a defensive line, the jet landed, and its rear ramp opened.

A team of armored S.H.I.E.L.D. agents came running out, training _their_ rifles upon the R.O.G.U.E. affiliates. Behind them, **Director Jasper Sitwell** marched out, wearing his black S.H.I.E.L.D. jumpsuit with the directorial symbol and with a pistol gripped in his right hand.

Coulson held his arm out and pushed himself in front of Hill. He had withdrawn his own pistol and aimed it down at Sitwell and his men.

"Well, well, well, at long last I've found your little secret hideout, Hill. What a surprise," Sitwell haughtily greeted.

"You're finished, Sitwell, you traitor!" Coulson lashed out, "Surrender S.H.I.E.L.D. before we end up killing each other!"

This caused the director to laugh.

"Coulson, you _honestly_ think that I'm going to give up the organization? We are humanity's only hope in this global situation, and _you_ are the ones trying to sabotage our salvation!"

"Salvation?" Hill questioned, stepping forward, "Jasper, you're _murdering_ innocent people! We're trying to save as many people as we can and what have _you've_ done? Death camps in Brazil? Working with the Reaper?"

"Mutants have become a **stain** on our existence, Maria! It was a mutant who created abominations like The Phantom and his ilk. No, they _must_ be removed. They are _not_ protected by 'human' rights laws and if I need to work with my enemy in order to eradicate them, then so be it."

"You **idiot**. He's _using_ you!" Coulson tried to point out.

Then, at that moment, Sitwell's eyes flashed red, which caused him to twitch for a moment.

Coulson and Hill both noticed it.

"No… I can't believe it," Hill gasped, "He… he has you under _his_ control!"

"Control?! No! No, _nobody_ has me under their control!"

The agents under his command began glancing at each other. It was apparent based off their looks and worrisome gestures that they too began to realize that Sitwell was going off the deep end.

"Of course. It'd make sense for the Reaper to influence you. He now has the control of S.H.I.E.L.D. _and_ its resources. You've become humanity's trojan horse!"

Sitwell began to grit his teeth in anger.

"You think you're _so_ smart, don't you, Hill? Don't you realize what you and that traitor Fury have _done_ to this organization?! We've lost the influence we once held because of both of your inequities! We need someone who can make the hard choices, no matter the cost!"

"You're deluded," Hill disapprovingly answered, "I would've _never_ have sacrificed our moral codes for ambition. You've doomed humanity."

The agents around him began to slowly lower their rifles, realizing what Director Hill was saying is true.

Sitwell snapped.

"What are you morons doing?! Keep your weapons up! We're not here to make peace!"

Suddenly, the cannon fire from the heli-carrier battle above the base stopped.

"What the hell?" Coulson thought aloud.

"Director," one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stepped forward, "We've received orders from _**Judgment**_ to cease fire on R.O.G.U.E. We ask that your ships do the same."

"W-What?! I didn't give any order! How dare you overstep my authority!"

"With pleasure," Hill smiled, "Coulson, let our guys know to stop."

As Coulson did so, Sitwell was shoving his men.

"What the hell are you idiots doing?! This is mutiny! You can't overthrow me! **I'm** the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

"You have been found unfit for command, director," the agent answered, "Your order to attack civilian life-ships violate the laws of war we've been sworn to abide by."

"To hell with those laws! You can't place laws on war!" Sitwell shouted, "We've already gone far beyond the point of no return!"

Once Coulson gave the order to cease fire, the cannon-fire from R.O.G.U.E.'s heli-carriers stopped.

"No! This can't happen!"

"Looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. has finally come to their senses," Hill commented, "You're finished, Sitwell."

Then, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents trained their rifles on Sitwell.

"You're coming with us, director."

The disgraced director turned his back on them, with his pistol still in hand. He gazed up at the hangar opening to the thundering skies.

"Director Sitwell," the agent repeated, "Put your weapon down."

He took a deep and audible sigh.

"I've given my life to this organization. I've sacrificed everything to preserve the ideals that this agency started with… I don't **plan** on stopping now."

In a rapid movement, he swung his pistol and shot off six rounds that fatally wounded his men, causing them to fall as they bled out.

"Dear God, what are you doing, Jasper?!" Hill questioned.

He dropped the magazine in his pistol and reloaded it.

"What **must** be done, Hill."

At this moment, the irises of his eyes glowed a bright scarlet red color. His skin began to pale from his soft tan to a deathly gray. Reaper's influence on him as finally shown its colors.

"Take him down!" she ordered.

The R.O.G.U.E. agents fired off several shots at Sitwell, but they simply shot right through his body, splashing blots of blood everywhere, but he remained standing.

"Holy shit."

Sitwell laughed, his voice sounding disembodied.

"The deal I made with the **Reaper** has given me the power to surpass death itself! You fools won't live to see the glory of his gifts!"

"He's lost it…" Coulson gravely observed, glancing over to Hill, "Get to Phantom, Hill! We'll hold him off!"

"Coulson, no! I'm not going to stand down!"

She held her pistol up and began firing off rounds at Coulson, but each shot, along with the rounds fired off by her agents, seemed to make Sitwell stronger. He slowly approached them, holding his pistol up and shooting her agents one-by-one.

They tried to run to cover, but he was quick. Enhanced by Reaper's influence, he shot down her team, leaving Hill and Coulson all by themselves.

The two of them fell back to cover behind a set of tall metallic food crates. He continued to fire at them, slowly closing in.

"There is no use hiding!" he taunted, "Your death will be your salvation!"

"You've got to run, Hill! R.O.G.U.E. can't survive without your direction!" Coulson implored.

"Damn it, Phil, stop being so chivalrous! **I'm** the director! I'm **not** going to run away! He killed my men!"

"Stop being so prideful! I'm going to provide a distraction, **you** make a run for it!"

"No, Phil, wait!"

Without another word, he jumped up out of cover and shot off the rest of his magazine at Sitwell until finally the pistol's empty clicks indicated he ran out of rounds.

"You've run out of time, Coulson."

Coulson threw his pistol to the side and tensed himself up.

"This is for Fury!"

He ran towards Sitwell, trying to close the distance to engage with him in hand-to-hand combat, but Sitwell fired off his pistol.

Hill watched in horror as Phil was shot in both his legs and then his lower abdomen. He fell forward onto his stomach, lifeless.

" **NO**! Phil, God damn it!" Hill cried out.

Sitwell chuckled, swiftly kicking Phil's body aside.

"You were always _somebody's_ lap dog, Coulson. It was high time you were put down."

Hill kept her back against the crate, doing everything in her power to not break down. She just watched her best friend get killed trying to defend her. Now, she **definitely** wasn't going to back down.

"You're going to pay for that, you son of a bitch!" She cried out from behind the crate.

He merely chuckled and continued to advance on her.

She started looking around, trying to find an edge to try and outmaneuver him. While she didn't know what capabilities he had now with his enhancements, she knew that he wasn't completely invincible. Reaper's own Vanguard were easily killed off.

She needed to disarm him and engage him in hand-to-hand combat.

To her right, there were other sets of crates she could stay in cover with. She could stay low while she tried to attack Sitwell at a different vantage point.

She peered over the crate and quickly ducked back after Sitwell shot another round off. He was moving slow in a zombie-like tread, but he was closing in with a few meters away.

Without another second to lose, she jumped forward, ducking behind the crate next to her, dodging another round off Sitwell's pistol. From there, she started crouching towards the side of the hangar bay, with Sitwell still firing off rounds at the crate she'd jumped behind, thinking she was still in one spot.

"Just let it be over with! Nice and quick!" he continued to taunt.

She cornered the stack of crates and peered over, seeing Coulson's lifeless body lying in a pool of blood. Taking a closer look to the right, she saw Sitwell rearing the corner to the crate she _was_ hiding behind. She didn't hesitate, crouching closer for an attack.

Sitwell reloaded the pistol and reared the corner to the crate, shooting off several rounds with the certainty that she was behind it.

"What the?"

"Looking for someone!?"

He turned and felt the painful kick from Hill's heel, knocking him backwards a few feet and disarming him at the same time. She jumped forward and kicked the pistol away before Sitwell had time to recover it.

Enhanced with his newfound abilities, the crazed former director sprang back into action almost instantaneously, flashing his crooked teeth as he smiled.

"No matter! I'll just tear you apart with my bear hands!"

He lunged forward, swiping his hands at her. She didn't notice until then that his nails had grown, sharpened into _claws_.

Side-stepping the wrong way, he slashed across her abdomen, drawing blood from her skin.

"Argh!"

He drew back his claws and licked the blood off of them.

"They say the blood of enemies makes one stronger!" he snarled.

"Jesus Christ, Sitwell. What's become of you?! This isn't you!"

She began to step back slowly, trying to find a stance. He paced closer towards her.

"This is my **destiny**! You and that fool, Fury, have stood in my way for **far too long**!"

Finding a footing, she side-stepped and punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. She followed up with a knee to his face and a swift kick across his chest that sent him staggering backwards.

"Stop this, Sitwell! This isn't you! You've allowed yourself to be controlled by the Reaper for God knows how long! Stop this! Please!"

He chuckled, getting back on his feet.

"You're not fooling anyone with your **lies** , Hill. This is nothing more than everything the Reaper has promised me and more!"

His claws lunged forward once more, trying to slice her up in a flurry of slashes, but she was able to dodge most of them, except for a few slices on her right arm, causing her to bleed profusely.

"Damn it, Sitwell! I _never_ disrespected you! I showed you nothing but respect my _entire_ time with S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

"But did Fury do the same? _No_. You were quick to lick his boots like the bitch you are. But, it doesn't matter. This is over for you now!"

He side-stepped and dug his claws deep into her thigh, causing her to scream in pain.

Ignoring it for a brief second, she withdrew a dagger from her waist and sunk it into his collarbone, which caused him to gasp in pain.

She dug it deeper, twisting it to try and drag it across towards his neck. But, it almost seemed like his skin was tightening up. Shocked, she watched as his flesh began to **retract** the blade **out** of his skin, chucking it out as it healed.

He laughed, picking her up with his claws still sunk in her thigh and threw her several feet out, where she landed a few feet away from Coulson's body.

She coughed, trying to get back on her feet but the pain in her thigh was too much. She couldn't stand up.

She reached for her radio, as she should've done earlier.

"I need… I need assistance…" she grunted, pressing her hand against her wound.

She glanced over, seeing Sitwell stand nearby, grinning ear to ear.

"Who's available?" She heard Stark say over the radio.

"Coulson's down… my men are gone… Sitwell… Sitwell's…"

Sitwell's boots began to march towards her. She tried to crawl away, keeping her radio hidden.

"Bruce? Can you assist **now**?" Stark requested.

"Tony… You know I can't…"

"You're the only one not in the fight, idiot…"

Before she could say something, Sitwell yanked the radio out of her hand and crushed it into pieces, throwing the remains at her face.

"At last, I have you right where I want you," he chuckled.

"Please… just stop this…"

"No," he stated, "Before I kill you, I'm going to let you look upon me as my final form, the **gift** the Reaper has given me: **perfection** , as I strived for."

Suddenly, his form began to grow. His face shifted violently as his entire body grew and in muscular bulk, ripping off parts of his uniform. The gray turned a greenish gray and the white of his eyes were replaced with the full red glow of his irises. Gills had formed on the sides of his neck. Sitwell had become hulk-like in size and form now.

He raised his arms, as though to display his titan-like body to her now.

"You're an… you're an **abomination**."

"And now, you're dead," he grunted, his voice having become deeper, monster-like.

He marched forward, the ground beneath him rumbling as he stepped. She tried to crawl away, but he swiftly grabbed her by her legs, grasping them whole with one hand and whipped her up above him, where he grabbed her arms with his other hand.

Then, he stretched her, trying to rip her in half.

She felt excruciating pain for what seemed an eternity, hearing her spine crack violently, experiencing her skin beginning to burn as though it was about to shred right off.

She accepted her fate.

Before…

A loud roar caused Sitwell to stop. He turned to find himself being knocked back several meters against the hull of the hangar bay.

Hill fell, right into the arms of **The Hulk**.

He calmly placed her down next to Coulson's body before redirecting his attention to the **Abomination** that Sitwell had become.

"Wh-Where did **you** come from!?" Sitwell growled.

Hulk didn't answer, instead, just roaring once more, sprinting forward and slamming Sitwell against the hull, punching him multiple times across his face and abdomen. The entire platform shook as the two hulks fought. The crates around them turned into debris as they battled it out.

Hill crawled over and turned Coulson onto his back.

He coughed up a wad of blood. He was still alive.

"Phil!"

"I'm… I'm sorry, Maria. I thought… I thought that would work."

"You idiot! Now you've gone off and gotten yourself killed!"

"I'm not dead… yet."

She nervously laughed, relieved that he wasn't dead.

"Is that… is that The Hulk? And… Sitwell?"

"Yeah, don't ask," she shook her head, "Come on, let's try to get up…"

"Holy shit," he commented as he watched.

Hulk slammed Sitwell's face onto the sharp end of the hangar bay's opening rods, stabbing his right eye. Before it had time to heal, Hulk slammed the _other_ eye into the opening rod, temporarily **blinding** the Abomination.

"Argh! I'm going to heal, you stupid green monster!" Sitwell growled, covering his eyes.

Hulk chuckled, slamming Sitwell onto his stomach and pinning him down. As he tried to get up, Hulk grabbed Abomination by his neck.

And snapped it.

Killing Sitwell.

His abominable body went limp and the grayish green color of his skin went into a pale white tone. Hulk lifted him up, walked him towards the edge of the hangar bay door, and threw him out into the ocean, where he sank into the depths below.

From the same door, **Stark** came flying in with the Iron Man suit, scanning the room.

"What the hell did you just throw out?" he asked Hulk.

"Stupid director."

He glanced back into the ocean.

" **That** **didn't look** like Sitwell, Banner. It looked like a giant glob of snot."

Hulk shook his head, pointing at Hill.

"Oh shit," Stark quickly hovered closer, landing next to them, "You guys okay!?"

"What does it look like, Stark?"

"Damn. You're still a mean one, even when you almost just died. Friday, activate the medical probe."

A section of his suit then detached from the left shoulder blade and hovered over to Hill, scanning her thigh wound.

"Don't worry about me! Coulson's almost dead here!"

The probe stopped and hovered over to Coulson, scanning his body and applying the necessary aid with some sort of black and white foam to cover his wounds with.

"What's _that?_ " Hill inquired.

"A first aid tool made with some help from my Wakandan connection. It'll stabilize him for now, but he _**needs**_ to get off this platform."

"I will take care," Hulk grunted, "I will take him up to heli-carrier."

"Take Hill too," Stark requested.

"Wait, Tony. Specter Haven went back into the base to find the web-head and his friends. They're somewhere in the messhall. Make sure they make it out alive."

"Yeah, yeah. What else do you need, hun? Cheese, eggs, milk? The usual stuff, right?" Stark joked, hovering off towards the interior corridors of the base.

Hulk carefully picked up both Hill and Coulson and jumped off the side of the hangar bay door, up towards the _**Justice I**_ tri-carrier flag-ship.

* * *

 _Inside the flooding messhall…_

"Get behind me, guys!" Nova shouted, prompting everyone to rush over behind him.

Ember charged up a massive ball of fire and blasted it at them. Nova quickly used his powers to deflect the fire with a wall of energy. He held it back as long as he could, until it finally dissipated. He took a moment to catch his breath.

"Damn. She's a tough cookie, guys."

"Thanks for that, Nova. We would've been grilled by now without your shield."

"I'll remember that. I'll collect the debt if we survive this."

She hovered closely to them, chuckling to herself as she did so with her hands on her hips.

"Looks like you kids are _out-matched_."

"Was that a pun?!" Nova questioned, "Because you _suck_ at making puns!"

He unleashed a column of energy, which Ember deflected. In turn, she conjured up her own waves of fire columns, forcing the team to hide behind the debris of overturned cafeteria tables.

"We need a plan, guys!" Iron Fist pointed out, "With the messhall falling apart, we will not last much longer."

"Who knew fire would be so hard to take out," Luke commented.

"Can't you take her on with your indestructible skin?" Tiger asked.

"Sure, but I can't fly. I can't sit there and get cooked while she continues to fly away."

"Any ideas, web-head?" Nova inquired, peering over the debris.

"I'm trying to work that out right now, actually."

"Well, you might want to hurry."

In the level below them, Riptide opened his eyes, recovering from the knock-out. The waters had flooded up and he floated right at its surface, healed by its abundance. He glanced to his side and saw his silver-and-obsidian trident floating next to him.

He could hear the battle above him, seeing the bright flaming blasts from Ember's hands. He felt some relief, knowing they weren't defeated yet.

Swinging the trident around, he forced the waters to flood at a much more rapid rate, waiting his opportunity to surprise the young heroes and flush them out once and for all.

Back at the top level…

Luke held up a slab of metal from the hull that had melted off from Ember's blasts, using it as a shield to keep her at bay while they tried to come up with a plan to counteract her.

"If I can get an opening, I can knock her down like last time. With our combined powers, we can take her down for good," Iron Fist suggested.

Spidey checked his vibranium-infused web-fluid in his shooters. The spare canisters had melted to the point of no use after a close brush with one of Ember's flames.

"I've got enough webbing to keep her down, but I'm out of it after that."

"It's alright," Tiger assured him, "I've still got the electric pulsators in these new gloves, so let me go for the final blow and I'll electrocute her out of the fight."

"Who will be the diversion?" Iron Fist lastly asked.

Spidey and Tiger glanced over at Nova, who simply sighed.

"Y'all ready?!" Luke irritably asked, losing his ability to hold up the slab of metal for much longer, since it was slowly melting down.

"Here goes nothing," Nova murmured.

He hovered up and out of cover, blasting off several beams of energy at Ember, who took the bait and directed her firepower at **him**. While she tried to take him out, Luke lifted up the metallic slab and acted as a platform that Iron Fist could jump off to get enough momentum to knock her out again.

Tiger and Spidey were standing by for her to crash down to take her out.

Then, Iron Fist took the jump, focused his chi into his right fist, and launched towards her. As he closed the distance between him and her, time seemed to slow down. He realized too late when a giant splash of water flowed from beneath of him.

Riptide reappeared with his half-damaged hammerhead helmet, smacking him across the face with his trident, and knocking him backwards, crashing into Luke.

"Argh, damn it!" Nova shouted.

The two Vanguard mutates laughed in brief victory.

"It'll take more than a few punches to knock **me** out, children!" Riptide taunted.

Tiger and Spidey ran to Danny's aid. The Iron Fist seemed a little dazed from the trident's swing.

"Are you guys okay?!" Tiger worriedly asked.

"I am fine, I am fine," Danny shook it off.

Without warning, Ember launched another massive fire blast, trying to eradicate them. Nova hovered back around and beamed up another energy shield, trying to hold it back as hard as he could.

"I can't hold it again for much longer, guys! If you've got a plan, do it now!"

"We need a way to extinguish the both of them," Danny suggested, holding his head from the throbbing pain.

"Extinguish **both** of them," Spidey repeated, realizing now what they had to do.

It was apparent now that Ember was the most damaging of the two, and her powers are directly weakened by Riptide's manipulation of **water**. They can knock her out easily if they can get Riptide to attack her on accident. He then thought of Ava's electric claws.

He relayed the plan to Ava, Luke, and Danny, who all agreed it could work, but how?

Nova's energy shield began to break under the enormous heat of Ember's fire.

"A little help here, guys!" Nova cried out, "What's the plan!?"

He felt Danny's hand on his shoulder.

"When we give the word, Nova, release the energy back onto Ember."

"But, we'll be exposed, man!"

"Do it."

Nova sighed.

"One well-cooked team of junior avengers, coming right up."

He withdrew the energy shield, redirected it, and blasted it back against Ember's fire, causing it to temporarily dissipate as a cloud of black smoke whirled from the aftermath.

Ember and Riptide watched as the black smoke escaped through the hole in the platform's ceiling. When it finally faded away, the young heroes were **gone**.

"What the?" Riptide took a closer look.

"Where did they go?!" Ember angrily questioned, scanning the entire place.

Suddenly, a cafeteria table was thrown in Riptide's direction. He swiftly dodged it and swung his trident to increase the flooding up to the top floor of the messhall.

"Where are you?!"

Then, a shot of web blinded his helmet's visor opening. He angrily started swinging his trident around, sending waves of water splashing all over the messhall.

"Watch where you're pointing that thing!" Ember complained.

"Damn webbing!"

She hovered closer to him to try and rip it off his visor, but two strings of webs caught her at her wrists, holding her place.

"Hey! What the hell?!"

Another blast of webbing solidified against Riptide's visor, causing him to go into a frenzy where he started sending wave after wave of water splashing everywhere. A rogue wave caught Ember and extinguished her flame.

"Rip! Rip, stop it! My flame is out!"

Nova flew into view and ripped the webbing off her wrists, causing her to fall right down into the watery abyss in the middle of the messhall. Without her fiery powers active, she couldn't use it to hover in the air. She began to thrash around, gasping for air.

"I can't see!" Riptide cried, trying to control himself.

Iron Fist jumped off another platform and focused his chi once more, knocking Riptide out of the air and sending him flying face-first into a pile of debris. Power Man came up behind him and picked up Riptide and slammed him into the floor.

The webbing had dissipated by now. He chuckled while he got back on his feet.

"Fool. The water **heals** me! We are in the middle of the ocean! What use do you have against **me**?!"

Luke looked down at his feet, seeing the water rising up past his ankles. He took a step back onto the debris behind him, **out** of the water.

Riptide furrowed his eyebrows seeing this. He glanced behind him to see Iron Fist do the same, step **out** of the water. Above him, Spider-Man clung onto the ceiling while Nova hovered above him with his arms crossed, grinning ear to ear.

"What's going on here?! Don't you realize you kids are no match for me?!"

"Let him have it, Tiger!" Spidey called out.

He looked over to across the abyss in the middle that Ember was drowning in. White Tiger stood on a slab of concrete, charging up her electrical claws.

His eyes widened.

"No… No, don't do that!"

"We're not kids!" She exclaimed.

She launched her claws down to the water and sent an electric wave that completely electrocuted the two Vanguard mutates, knocking them out of the fight.

"Let's get them before **he** heals up and she dies," Spidey ordered, shooting webs down at Ember and pulling her up onto the ceiling.

Nova sighed, hovering down and picking Riptide up as well.

"Why can't we just let them… you know… die off?"

"Because they are more use to us alive than dead," Danny answered.

"Specter Haven will have questions for them," Ava added.

" _ **Yes, we do**_ ," a deep voice loudly spoke from across the messhall.

From the top-level entrance to the messhall, Phantom apparated from thin air, along with Fox to his right, Phantasm to his left, Wolfe behind him, and Wren and Firewalker following behind them.

"Impressive work," Phantom pointed out, crossing his arms.

"You guys saw all that?!" Nova questioned, "Where was our back up?!"

"We **just** got here, homie," Firewalker answered, "Besides, y'all looked like y'all had it under control."

"Like White Tiger said," Phantom continued, "You guys aren't kids anymore."

Peter removed his mask and looked at the rest of his team. They all looked at each other, smiling and grinning. They'd done it.

They'd defeated two of Reaper's most powerful mutates together. As a team.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hey my dudes! Sorry for the super long chapter in this one! I got this one done ahead of schedule for this Friday since I've got a major exam this week **and** a major presentation/speech next week for one of my classes. So, I'm preoccupied, unfortunately. Blehhhh. Thanks for the recent reviews, though. I love your thorough reviews, **The Story's Shadow** , as I always do! =D To answer your question, no, Ava still has the jade tiger amulet but she's keeping it in check since it overstepped its powers in her story arc chapters in Brazil. Also, I've got to give credit where credit is due and thanks **Death Fury** for the vibranium suit idea! =D Sorry for not realizing you got there first, my dude! Thanks, though! =D Thanks everyone else, y'all are great! Next chapter update is due by Oct 5, so keep an eye out! Peace, love, and french fries,

jack montero


	38. The Reunification of SHIELD

_**The Reunification of S.H.I.E.L.D.**_

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Justice I**_ _…_

After a quick patch-job on her thigh at the medical bay, **Director Hill** observed the state of Alpha Base from the bridge of the tri-carrier. The base, exposed by the decrease in water level, was battered and nearly destroyed. Some of the platforms were completely decimated by the cannon-fire from the battle, others were submerged into the ocean, with water flooding them whole.

It was a dark observation, since it had served as their home and a place of refuge for so long. She felt it like a gut punch, seeing everything they had worked so hard for virtually destroyed.

She sighed at the sight.

"Good to see you're up and about," she heard Tony's voice speak from behind her.

"It's hard to see something we've worked so hard to build _decimated_ before us."

He stepped forward, next to her, and observed the base.

"Eh, I guess. We can always rebuild," he shrugged.

"If we have the chance to, Stark. Alpha Base is gone. The Triskelion is gone. What do we have left?"

"A fleet of heli-carriers. The Avengers. The X-Men. Specter Haven. The youngsters."

She sarcastically chuckled.

"We're going to need a lot more than that if we are to defeat the Reaper and his forces."

"You're right," he concurred, "We're going to need **hope**. A lot of it."

"I didn't figure you for an optimist."

"I'm an optimist when it suits me."

Suddenly, a specialist approached them.

"Director, the Acting-Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is requesting to come-aboard."

"At last," she murmured, "Have them come aboard."

Tony watched her as she marched off. He returned this attention to the remnants of Alpha Base, watching as it succumbed to the sea.

* * *

 _Inside the holding cells of Justice I…_

Riptide and Ember were both brought on-board, contained in specialized cells that limit their mutative abilities. Riptide's trident was confiscated, and Ember's cell had a water sprinkling unit in the event she tries to ignite her flame.

 **Phantom** , **Phantasm** , **Firewalker** , **Peter** , **Danny** , and **Ava** walked into where they were being held to interrogate them, as requested by Director Hill once they brought them aboard. The others remained as the security detail for the meeting between Hill and whoever the Acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was.

Passing by the empty cells, they reached the mutates' cells at the far end of a long corridor, guarded by two armored R.O.G.U.E. agents. Riptide was leaning against the far wall and Ember was sitting, crisscross in the middle of her cell, seemingly meditating.

"Come to gloat, have you?" Riptide grunted, his voice slightly distorted behind the energetic wall of his cell.

"We've come to talk," Phantom plainly stated.

"We're not talking."

"There's no use staying quiet while you're here."

The others stood back while Phantom paced between the two cells. Riptide continued to lean on the wall, with his arms crossed, and Ember stayed silent.

"We will presumably return to Manhattan, sooner or later. By then, all we need to do is wait and our master will save us from this pitiful cell you have us in."

"You _honestly_ think Reaper will come and save you guys?" Phantasm harshly asked, stepping forward, "You guys _failed his_ orders. You're both as good as _dead_."

"You think we haven't realized that?" Ember questioned, breaking her silence, "Yet, the fact remains: our master is running out of options. You all have killed most of our Vanguard. He won't kill us when he needs us."

Firewalker stepped forward, seemingly eyeballing Ember.

"You _must_ understand that you are on the wrong side," Danny tried to reason with them, "Please, I implore you to see past Reaper's flawed logic."

They both ignored him.

"Here's a better question," Ava butted in, "Do you guys _really_ believe in Reaper's ultimate goal?"

"Of course, we do," Ember swiftly responded.

"So, Reaper's _ultimate_ goal is to convert humanity. Yet, you guys had to work _with_ S.H.I.E.L.D. to fight R.O.G.U.E.? Do you _not_ see the contradiction?"

"It was a necessary deception," Riptide answered, "If S.H.I.E.L.D. was too stupid to realize our master was manipulating them from the very beginning, then that's their problem. Obviously, it didn't work out in their favor."

"And so, the question remains, what should happen to _you both_ ," Phantasm pointed out.

Riptide merely shrugged as a gesture.

Firewalker cleared his throat, trying to gain Ember's attention. But, she was still sitting down, staring at the floor in front of her.

"If I were you, I would just kill us and let it be over with. We're _not_ going to talk or expose our master," Riptide emphasized.

"Surely, we can come to some sort of agreement," Peter suggested.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I mean, you guys are pretty powerful mutates. Maybe you guys can help us?"

Ember chuckled.

"You _can't_ be serious."

"I think he has a point," Phantom agreed, "You both are powerful, that much is certain, especially _you_ , Ember."

"Yeah, you _really_ something else," Firewalker humorously added in.

Ember just glared at him.

"We'll _never_ help you," Riptide confidently assured them, "We've sworn an oath to our master."

"And I'm not asking that you break it," Phantom quickly answered, "You've sworn an oath to an entity, an alter-ego of _mine_. You'd simply serve a different cause."

"We understand technicalities, Phantom. You are _not_ our master," Ember snapped back.

"Fair enough. But, regardless, I offer you both a place amongst our ranks. I offer you a place in Specter Haven."

"Wait, what?!" Phantasm exclaimed.

"Phantom, I don't think that's a good idea," Ava added shortly after, "We _just_ got through fighting them, and now you want them to join you?"

"Dad, you have _no idea_ what they're capable of. They could betray you!"

"My purpose in this universe is to preserve life, no matter the cost," he defended his stance, "…if that means offering my enemy an alternative path, then that's what I suggest. These two started off in the same place my junior specters started. They were simply influenced by Magneto's persuasion."

"And Magneto is no longer alive," Danny pointed out, "His interests have been lost."

Riptide and Ember exchanged looks.

"You're awfully trusting really quick, Phantom," Riptide concluded.

"This is war, Riptide. Time to get to know you isn't to my advantage. But, I've seen what you're both capable of. Based off what Spider-Man and his team's told me, you both hold some sort of doubt of your master's will."

"We hold _no doubt_ in his will," Riptide angrily assured him.

"But, we do," Ember softly contradicted.

"Ember? What are you doing?!"

"He is right, Rip. Regardless of how I feel, I don't think Reaper is doing what Magneto would've wanted."

"How would _you_ know?! Magneto _trusted_ him!"

"Magneto's dead, Rip. How are we sure that his dream is still being preserved?"

"To be fair, Magneto _did_ basically start all this mess," Firewalker murmured. Phantasm nudged him to shut up.

"Just give it some thought," Phantom finished, "For now, we won't pester you further."

He gestured for them to leave the cell block. They filed out, with Phantasm giving a cold stare at the two mutates before leaving, and Firewalker winking at Ember. Phantom stayed behind.

Peter notices this and stays behind with him.

"I assume you have more to say?" Riptide questioned.

With his back turned to both mutates, Phantom nodded. Peter watched as the specter turned to look at them.

"I **need** to know what he has planned. For your sake, for our sake, please, if you could tell me that much."

"An offer turned into begging? And here I thought you were much more intimidating. So much for not being pestered anymore."

"My **world** is in danger, Riptide. The Reaper will stop at nothing to destroy us all. I need to know what you know."

"You'll get nothing from me. Humanity is a scum that deserves to be wiped out of this planet."

"You can't honestly think that," Peter interjected, "Come on. Only Reaper is crazy enough to believe that's possible."

"It's not only Reaper," Ember gravely answered, "Moros and Tombstone, the other two mutates, are also indoctrinated in his beliefs."

"And you two aren't?"

"No," she sighed, "In truth, only Moros and Tombstone do…"

"Ember! Shut your mouth!"

She shook her head and just turned around, her back exposed to them.

"Just leave us, Phantom," Riptide growled, "We'll… _consider_ … your offer. Until then, just leave us."

Phantom simply nodded and turned to leave. Peter followed behind, taking a few glances back at the menacing Riptide.

"That went well," he murmured to Phantom once they left the holding cells.

"They'll come around."

"How can you be so sure, Phantom?"

"I have a feeling."

Phantasm, Ava, Firewalker, and Danny were waiting outside.

"Get anywhere?" Phantasm curiously asked.

"No," Phantom sighed, "But, we'll keep an eye on them."

"We should probably head back to the bridge, then," Ava suggested, "The R.O.G.U.E./S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting _should_ have started by now."

* * *

 _At the bridge…_

A S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet landed on the tri-carrier flight deck. A team escorted the Acting Director and her team to the bridge, where Director Hill waited for them. Stark, Rogers, and Dr. Strange stood nearby, with Professor Xavier and Wolverine standing on the other side. The rest of the bridge was surrounded by other members of the teams, including Fox, Wolfe, Wren, Luke, and Nova.

"How's Coulson doing?" Hill quietly asked Stark.

"He's doing okay last I checked. Don't worry, he'll make it. Nothing can kill him."

"I'd like to believe that."

"He'll be fine, Maria. Focus on the here and now."

"Right."

The bridge doors slid open and the acting director marched in. Acting Director **Daisy Johnson** marched right in. She was a short, slightly tanned young woman. She had dark brown eyes, short sleek black hair, and a determined face. Her black body uniform defined her fitness, hinting that she was capable of holding her own in a fight.

Maria was initially surprised to see **Daisy** becoming the Acting Director.

"J-Johnson?"

Daisy grinned, shrugging.

"Surprised, Hill?"

"I didn't know _you_ took over. How did that happen?"

"That's what I'm here to explain, huh?" she slightly chuckled, approaching Hill and stretching out her hand.

Hill warmly shook it.

"We're here to talk about a lot of things, Daisy. I'm relieved that S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to come to its senses when it came to Sitwell."

"Yeeeaaaah, I heard about that fight you had with him down at your base. Jesus, I knew he was crazy, but not **that** crazy. I heard the big green guy took care of him."

"You got that right," Stark humorously interrupted.

"Well, it's a good thing Jasper didn't kill you then, Maria. Can we sit down somewhere?"

"Of course."

In the conference room near the bridge, Daisy sat down and talked with Hill and the leaders to the other teams: **Stark** , **Rogers** , **Xavier** , **Phantom** , **Phantasm** , **Parker** , **Black Cat** , **Cable** , and **Peter Quill** , the others waited outside, to try and keep the conference as small as possible.

Peter felt a little small sitting with a bunch of older adults, but he didn't mind. He was probably the youngest there, with Daisy being a close second.

Daisy began the narrative with her explanation as to _why_ S.H.I.E.L.D. suddenly had a change of heart. So, it turns out, as a surprise to Hill, that **Fury** had Daisy infiltrate the operations arm of S.H.I.E.L.D. back even _before_ the **Manhattan Incident**. He did so with fears that Sitwell was rising through the ranks unusually fast, with his ambition unchecked and his true agenda unknown.

He kept this from the knowledge of everyone involved, including Hill and Coulson, so that there was absolutely **zero** possibility for her to be discovered by anyone within the organization.

Once the divide occurred and S.H.I.E.L.D. was split, she stayed alongside Sitwell as an avid supporter of his policies to get as close as possible to him. Once she infiltrated his inner circle, she began uncovering what exactly he was doing, specifically the roundup of mutants around the world and the concentration camps in Brazil.

With Fury's incarceration being personally handled by Sitwell himself, Daisy had to do whatever she could to communicate to R.O.G.U.E. on the knowledge of these camps as well as the other illegal activities the organization was doing around the world.

"So, _you're_ the source that fed all that intel to my analysts," Hill, astonished, pointed out.

"Precisely. _**I**_ made sure you guys weren't kept in the dark."

Once the invasion started, she began grouping together other higher-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. officials who disagreed with Sitwell's policies. They tried to organize covert operations to try and save as many people as they could, but Sitwell prioritized taking R.O.G.U.E. down first. What civilians they _did_ save were taken to an undisclosed location.

"I have a feeling he took those people straight back to Reaper," Phantasm wondered aloud.

"I think so too," Daisy concurred, "But, Sitwell didn't keep that information in our databases. I guess he wanted to make sure nobody knew what he was up to. Nobody wanted to admit that he had a back-channel to the invaders."

"It just doesn't make sense," Hill sighed, "Why did he turn to Reaper? I thought he hated mutants?"

"He hated them enough that he was willing to work out some sort of truce with the Reaper. Of course, we all know by now that Reaper's true goal is to convert humanity into mutated beings. Sitwell was blinded by his own ambition and pride to see that."

She concluded with the recent battle. Once they got word that they were attacking Alpha Base, she rounded up the high-ranking officers and brought them to the _**Judgment**_ heli-carrier to try and convince Sitwell to cease his campaign. When he killed one of the officers to "punish" him, she knew it was time to overthrow him.

What they didn't see during the battle was an on-going skirmish between those that supported him and those that didn't within the corridors of the flag-ship. She fought alongside her officers to get to Sitwell's office, where she had the encryption key to access the director's terminal and send a message to all of S.H.I.E.L.D. to cease operations.

It was then that she was able to officially denounce Sitwell to all of S.H.I.E.L.D. and end the campaign against R.O.G.U.E.

Quill whistled in awe.

"That's one hell of a spying gig you pulled off," he commented.

"I'm just sorry that I wasn't able to stop him earlier. We could've saved a lot of lives had R.O.G.U.E. and S.H.I.E.L.D. banded together sooner," Daisy lamented, "Nevertheless, I am prepared to hand the torch back to you, Hill. You _are_ the agent that Fury himself named to be his successor."

"Thank you. You have no idea how much of a relief that brings me."

Daisy simply nodded in agreement.

 **Professor Xavier** then cleared his throat to get Daisy's attention.

"I immensely appreciate your role in all this, Director Johnson. But, the fact remains that S.H.I.E.L.D. actively hunted mutants globally and placed them in camps, as you've pointed out in your findings. Surely, there are agents who were involved in that who did **nothing** to stop it. I ask, as the primary speaker for the X-Men and mutant community, that justice **must** be served to those individuals, lower and higher ranking."

"He's right," Cable concurred.

Daisy shifted in her seat.

"I understand the gravity of those events. Believe me, I do. In order to successfully overthrow Sitwell, we _had_ to lay low and do what we could outside of official channels."

"A necessary choice, I understand that. But, that doesn't answer my request, director."

She sighed.

"I am prepared to testify as well as bring forth every shred of evidence stored within our databases to bring to justice the agents involved. That will require a great deal of resources for analyzation as well as a form of government to preside over those proceedings and enforce them."

"Sort of a second set of Nuremberg Trials?" Black Cat pondered, "Except, for mutants?"

"I don't know much about law, but won't we need like a charter for that? A set of laws to punish those agents with?" Peter suggested, "Sorry, I didn't pay much attention in civics class."

"We'll need an agreement, precisely," Xavier answered, turning to Hill, "We need a formal set of laws that protects mutants as well as humans."

"A concordat," Phantom simply stated, "This has been discussed before. I think, with S.H.I.E.L.D. and R.O.G.U.E. now the last leading agencies, military arms against the RSF, a concordat would solidify the mutant cause for when the war is over."

"That sounds like a great idea," Rogers confidently pointed out.

"It's going to take a lot of time, though," Stark commented, "People will be more concerned with reconstruction than swift justice when this is all over."

"But it will come. One way or another," Xavier firmly stated.

"Agreed," Hill decided.

After the meeting, Hill came aboard _**Judgment**_ with Daisy and signed a sort of "peace treaty" to unite the two agencies together under a single banner against the RSF. They discussed what would happen for after the war, where R.O.G.U.E. and its assets would return to S.H.I.E.L.D. and that Hill would resume her place as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., to preside over the trials of those who supported Sitwell.

In the meantime, since the two were still separate organizations, Hill trusted Daisy's role. She knew her for years and she was Fury's former protégé before Hill came aboard. She's an excellent spymaster with infiltration skills that matched those that Black Widow once had. There were rumors that she had special abilities of her own, but nothing that she'd ever witness her do.

Peter caught up with Phantom and Selena, who spoke on the side of the conference room after the meeting.

"That's one obstacle out of the way," Selena confidently pointed out, "Now, all that's left is **Reaper** and his forces. Dad, we _need_ to get to him before its too late."

"What's going on?" Peter butted in.

"We're discussing what to do next, Peter. Selena believes the faster we get to Manhattan and defeat Reaper, the faster we can end this madness."

"This event's happened before, dad. The longer we wait, the stronger he'll become. The other phantoms who have waited were decimated."

"But, as you said, Selena, I'm a **Revenant** ," he coolly answered.

Without another word, he walked off to go talk to Fox and Wolfe.

"You still don't even know what that means, old man!"

Peter watched as Phantom glanced back and simply shrugged.

"He's _never_ this eccentric," he told her, "It's nice to see him so confident."

"Yeah, I know. I just want him to understand how serious the situation's become now."

"As though it wasn't serious enough?"

She sighed.

"The closer we get to Reaper, the more dangerous he becomes. He's got a few tricks up his sleeve than can end it all _with the snap of his fingers_."

"I doubt it. He's powerful but he's not _that_ powerful."

"Let's hope so, Parker," she concluded. She walked off towards the corridor, where Wren was waiting for her.

Peter left the bridge too and entered one of the sleeping quarters. The room was fairly large, with multiple beds where they could sleep in separated by privacy glass. Pretty high-tech stuff.

The rest of his team was on the far end, sitting in what appeared to be a lounging area. They were still in their respective costumes, but they all had their masks off. Luke hadn't been wearing his sunglasses since he came back into the picture, so he was already good.

"You guys were just **lucky** that I was able to put my energy shield up before we got baked crispy fresh by Ember!" Sam proudly pointed out.

"Yeah, but I did the same too using a piece of metal. Where's my recognition?" Luke joked.

"Yeah, yeah, congrats, whatever. But, my energy shield! You got to admit, it was badass."

"For all the few seconds you were able to have it up _before_ you were asking for help, you mean?" Ava humored, causing Danny and Luke to snicker.

"Hey! You try to use up all your energetic powers like that and see how it feels!"

"Sorry, 'oh-mighty bucketheaded **Nova** '," Danny sarcastically apologized.

"Oh okay! Is that how it's going to be? I just won't do it next time!"

Peter walked up, smiling about their conversation.

"Sounds like you guys are having a good time reminiscing."

"Hey Pete," Luke warmly greeted, "How'd the meeting go?"

Danny pulled up a seat for Peter to sit in.

"Good. Director Johnson and Director Hill have agreed to have S.H.I.E.L.D. and R.O.G.U.E. join forces to battle against the RSF. They'll figure out the details after the war."

"Are we just going to **forget** all the bad shit S.H.I.E.L.D. did?" Sam curiously brought up.

"No. Professor X already brought that up and they said they'd hold some sort of Nuremberg Trials type deal for after the war and bring those agents to justice. The ones that helped Sitwell, that is."

"Good. Justice is a must if we are to build a society after this madness," Danny contemplated.

"What's next, then?" Ava questioned, "Where are we going?"

"Probably **Wakanda** , I've always wanted to visit!" Sam answered with a tone of hope in his voice.

Luke force-coughed.

"Liar!"

"Shut it, Power Boy!"

"With Alpha Base destroyed, I have no doubt that Wakanda is our next destination. It is the most well-protected country on the planet. And, based off Mary Jane's reporting, it is the **only** country that has not been affected by the invasion. It would seem their vibranium-based technology is keeping it hidden from the world," Danny pointed out.

"That probably means a lot of refugees have poured in," Ava wondered.

"Probably. But, I do not blame them for doing so."

"Speaking of MJ," Peter suddenly remembered, "I should probably go check back up on her and Harry. As well as Aunt May. Has anybody seen them?"

"I think they're in the communications room on the starboard side of the tri-carrier," Luke kindly answered.

Sam suddenly stood up from his chair.

"Well, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to get some food. I'm **hungry** after that last fight."

Danny got up as well.

"I am right behind you, Sam!"

Shortly after they left, Luke stood up and stretched.

"I guess I'll go talk to Jessica. See where they're at."

"She's not here?" Ava asked.

"No, she left with one of the life-ships. The Defenders were put in charge of the life-ship formation along with Deadpool."

"Oh, that must be fun," Peter sarcastically commented.

"Yeah, that's why I'm going to go check," Luke nervously chuckled, "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

The two of them watched him leave the room. Peter turned to glance over at Ava. He couldn't help but notice just how her suit accentuated her curves.

"Wow…" he softly commented.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. It just seems like forever since I last saw you in the White Tiger suit."

"Oh, yeah," she giggled, "The other one you saw me in was half tattered and I was basically running around half naked."

"It wasn't _that_ bad."

"Yeah, I'm _sure_ you _loved_ that," she flirted, "But trust me, it _sucked_. My soles are basically rock hard from all that running on my bare feet."

"Damn. Well, you still look great."

"Thanks, Pete. I would hope so."

An awkward silence followed. She moved a little closer to him and he did the same.

"So… I know that Sam had asked if we were still together the last time we all talked. I wanted to ask you if… if we still are?"

"Are we?"

"I… I hope so?"

He turned to her, reaching out to hold her hands.

"I thought about you for two years, Ava. I know that seems like a short time but… it seemed like an **eternity** to me."

She lifted her right hand and touched the side of his face.

"It was an eternity for me too, Pete. I lost _control_ of the Jade Tiger Amulet because of it. I missed you so much."

"That's why you went full tiger back in the Amazon?"

She nodded.

"And you almost **died**. I would've **never** have forgiven myself if I lost you over my stupidity."

"It wasn't your fault, Ava."

She quivered her lips.

"One of my biggest worries was that you were going to fall in love with someone else."

"No, of course not! Why would you think that?"

"I'm nobody special, Peter."

"Don't say that. You're special to **me**. That's all that matters. I **told you** , I'd never forget about you. Here I am."

She smiled.

"There you are."

Slowly, they inched in, until his head met with hers. She got up from her seat and wrapped herself around him while he sat. Then, their lips met.

He had forgotten how her lips felt like, as did she.

They lost themselves in the moment. It was though nothing else mattered. As though there was no war, no fighting, no hate, or violence.

It was though all they had was their love.

Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. It was Sam, who asked if they wanted anything to eat, he had brought some stuff back.

"At least he knocked," Peter sighed.

"Should we continue this later?"

"You bet."

They softly kissed one more time before attending to the door.

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

Reaper observed Peter's little moment with Ava through the mental connection he shared with the boy. In the depths of Peter's subconscious, Reaper's dark influence lingered, slowly growing, through whatever form Reaper saw fit.

"Interesting," he commented, "Your love will be your downfall, Peter Parker. I wonder what should happen… if I forced you to decide between your duty… and your love."

* * *

A/N: WOOO, **I'm** on a roll this week! xD No worries, my dudes. I did a little bit of editing and got this chapter much shorter than the last one. I wanted to get it done before midterms coming up this week and next week (don't worry, I think I shouldbe okay in passing). I needed a little help from el maestro for writing that romance scene in the end but I hope you guys like it, for real. I'll update **Aferus** ' profile with the new due date for the next chap but we're ahead of schedule for now!

Up next, ready to see Earth-0819's Fantastic Four?

Much love to Sport21, Death Fury, and The Story's Shadow for staying consistent in their reviews. I see y'all. Mucho love!

 **J** ack **M** ontero


	39. New, Fantastic Allies

_**New, Fantastic Allies**_

* * *

 _On the observation deck of the_ _ **Judgment**_ _…_

After signing the truce, both directors took a walk alongside the observation deck in the lower level of the flag-ship heli-carrier, without their personal escorts. Daisy had ordered the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. heli-carriers to regroup in a singular formation _behind_ the _**Judgment**_. In doing so, they were able to view the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. fleet through the windows.

The sun could be subtly seen at the horizon, signaling the morning and shining light across the fleet. Most of the heli-carriers were damaged from the battle, so the maintenance workers were out in force to fix critical systems and return the ships to full battle-functionality.

"It's impressive how Sitwell kept S.H.I.E.L.D. together, without the Council's guidance, as well with the destruction of the Triskelion," Hill observed.

"It was more of a _dictatorship_ , Hill. Sitwell forced the heli-carrier fleet to become nomadic. This is all that remains of our military-ready force." Daisy gravely answered.

"Still, it's impressive. What do you plan to do now?"

"Well, I understand if you decide not to disclose to us where you sent the life-ships. We _just_ got finished fighting each other a few hours ago, after all. Although, my intel suggests that you sent them to **Wakanda**?"

"That's right," Hill confidently answered.

She trusted Daisy. The spy had never given her reason to not trust her. Fury also held her in high regards. So, now with her at the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., she felt that the right step forward would be transparency between the two agencies.

"A smart move. Wakanda is the last free-standing nation on the planet right now. With the major governments of every country in the hands of the Reaper now, any piece of shelter is better than nothing."

"I can speak with the king and request him to open up the airspace to the S.H.I.E.L.D. fleet," Hill respectfully offered.

"I appreciate it, but that's not needed. I won't inconvenience them with the banner of an agency that was killing mutants not too long ago. Instead, I'm going to hide the fleet in the Atlantic."

"What do you mean?"

"Our cloaking mechanisms have been drained by our constant need to keep the ships afloat. Our engineers have found a way to keep them operational for another week, but beyond that… we'll be sitting ducks for the RSF to find and destroy."

This shocked Hill. She had initially thought that Sitwell would've been smart enough to foresee this happening to the fleet. But, after recent events, she supposed that she shouldn't be that surprised.

"Dear God. Daisy, you _need_ to dock in Wakanda. I'm sure T'Challa can…"

"It's _okay_ , Hill. We've already discussed battle plans. With the assault on Manhattan occurring soon, I'll make sure our fleet is ready to fight alongside R.O.G.U.E. when the time comes. It's just…"

"…this needs to happen within the week," Hill finished Daisy's line of thought.

"Exactly. Our timetable has moved up. I appreciate your offer, but I'd rather the Black Panther allocate those resources towards the defense of his country, to protect those refugees. Instead, I ask that we commence the battle _soon_."

"A week is too short of time, but…" Hill took a brief pause to sigh, "…I understand why."

Daisy stayed quiet. She simply looked off into the dark morning horizon, seeing repairs being conducted on the heavily damaged heli-carriers and heli-destroyers. To her, this was a slap in the face for all the good deeds S.H.I.E.L.D. has done over the decades. Sitwell's reign of terror doomed the agency with his secret alliance with the Reaper.

"What's on your mind, Daisy?" Hill broke her line of thoughts.

She hesitated to answer.

"I may very well be the last director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria. My only hope is that we save as many people as we can before all this is over."

She turned to leave the observation deck.

"We're going to **win** ," Hill assured her.

She stopped in her tracks, turning to glance back at her counterpart.

"Yeah, I know."

Right before she left, she added one more thing.

"By the way, Hill. I'm sending a special team over to you guys. We picked them up before we left Manhattan. They're a smart bunch. I think they'll be of great help to you."

"Who are they?"

"The **Fantastic Four**."

* * *

 _A little bit later, back on_ _ **Justice I**_ _…_

The rest of the supers gathered up on the flight deck on the tri-carrier when the rains stopped. It gave everyone sometime to get some fresh air. Coincidentally, the sun was beginning to rise above the horizon, so it gave them a nice aesthetic view while they held their meeting.

Steve Rogers ran through the timeline of events to follow once they reach **Wakanda**. With the battle plans for Manhattan being drawn up by both S.H.I.E.L.D. and R.O.G.U.E. strategists with directorial oversight, there would be _some_ downtime for the teams while in the country. He _stressed_ that there would be training simulators available and to expect to be in tight environments while a buildup of military forces show up to provide the bolster of military support for the battle.

Sam Alexander raised his hand during the meeting.

"Yes, Sam?"

"Cap, I was wondering if we could explore the city while we're there."

"This isn't a vacation, kid," Wolverine scowled at him, "We're there to get ready for **war**."

"Be calm," T'Challa snapped, "Birnin Zana _will_ be open, Sam. However, I'll advise for you to heed what the Captain requests. This is the time for you all to be prepared for battle. Additionally, most of my people will be preoccupied in helping the refugees. You will be lucky to see anything that represents our normal everyday life."

"Thank you, your majesty, that's all I was wondering."

"That was a stupid question, Sam," Ava whispered from behind him.

"Shut up, Tiger."

"Who else is coming as far as military build-up goes, Cap?" Luke curiously asked.

"Well, we have remnants from the American and Russian armed forces arriving. Some special force groups from China and India. The bulk of the military asset, however, will be civilian militias that R.O.G.U.E. has been able to save from around the world."

"Of course, we have Dracula's army of vampires and our mutant forces from Brazil giving aid as well," Black Cat added.

"Are we going to be okay with working with a bunch of foreign forces?" Wolfe skeptically asked.

"At this point, Wolfe, we are not fighting as Americans, Wakandans, Russians, or Chinese. We are fighting as humans and mutants, side by side, against a global threat," T'Challa coolly answered, "When our existence is threatened, who cares about the politics?"

"Fair enough."

While Rogers continued to run through their brief, Peter heard Sam whisper to both him and Ava.

"Did you guys screw yet or what?"

Ava's eyes widened into a deathly glare.

"Are you kidding me right now, Sam? You're asking about this _now?"_

"Luke told me he left you guys alone for a good minute. Come on, guys. How have y'all not slept together yet? Two years!"

"I swear, Alexander, the moment we get into our training scenario in Wakanda, I'm going to wipe your face all over the floor for asking that!"

"You won't do **shit** , Tiger!"

Peter sighed.

"They never change, do they?" Danny whispered to Luke.

"Nope. I'm not complaining, though. I always got a kick watching Tiger make dents in his helmet."

"…but, don't worry, his majesty has assured us that we'll have our own quarters inside the royal palace. Everyone will have their own respective room. Although, I ask you don't squander it. I'll make sure the troops have proper living space as well while we're there," Rogers concluded.

"Don't stress it, Steve," Stark interjected, "I've got portable housing units deployed to Wakanda already."

He rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's good, then, Tony. I appreciate your thought."

"Of course, Captain. _Somebody_ has to think about the troops, right?"

" _Anyway_ , I suggest you all go get some rest. I know it's morning, but we're set to follow the live-ships' route to Wakanda here soon."

"What about S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Phantom then asked, "Where will they go?"

"Hill told me that they're sending their fleet out to the Atlantic to be the forward element for our assault against the RSF. We'll join them once we're on the warpath."

"I see."

Once they concluded, everyone dispersed, with most of them returning to the quarters they were assigned to get some rest.

* * *

 _Shortly after that…_

Phantom entered his quarters, a small room with an observation window. He closed it with the metallic slip to darken his room completely before undressing to take a shower. He felt a semblance of peace after stepping into the shower unit and allowing the lukewarm water to splash on his scarred skin. Taking a shower always seemed to calm him down.

The battle over Alpha Base had subtly angered him. Resent echoed within S.H.I.E.L.D., personified by Sitwell and his actions against both humanity and mutantkind. He tried to make sense of it, he tried to figure out _why_ it was all occurring in the manner of which it had manifested. There was no other reason than **hate**. A hate that had a hand in his own transformation.

As well as the transformation of his daughter.

He closed his eyes and saw flashes from his memory of his ex-wife, **Maria**. His heart weighed on the fear of what might've happened to her on Manhattan. He prayed that she had survived. Their subtle mental connection seemed unsevered, which meant that she was still alive, but… he held less and less confidence in his connections. More so after Selena had disappeared from his life for two years.

Now, with the knowledge of _what_ he was, and who Reaper was, it challenged everything he's ever known. It confused him. But, at the same time, all he could think about was why it was happening to _him_ , of all people.

Gritting his teeth, he punched the wall of the shower unit.

"Damn it! Why does it have to be me!?"

His heart began to beat faster as the rage built up inside of him. He glanced at his hands, down to the bracers that were forever melted onto his forearms after nearly two decades of imprisonment. He felt so **imperfect**.

Angrily, he glanced up to the ceiling, seeing past it in his mind, and out into the heavens above.

He'd always considered himself a **Christian** when he was Alejandro Cruz. But, now, he questioned the existence of God. He questioned it more than anything else.

"Why are you doing this to me?! Have I not paid the full price?! You've taken it all from me!"

He then unleashed his rage.

Electrical pulses complemented each punch he slammed into the wall, burning it black with each strike. In his mind, visions of **Taskmaster** , **Magneto** , and **Reaper** all taunted him, telling him he was all part of their well-orchestrated plan. Merely a pawn. As he was always intended to be.

He punched and punched… until…

 _...Her_ words echoed in his head.

" **Stop** talking, tonto. We have a world to save! There is so much more to live for than what you believe. Phantom, if you help us stop this guy, I **promise** , I'll show you!"

Fox's vision emerged in his mind, recalling what she had said to him right before they fought Reaper on Island M.

Suddenly, his rage disappeared, and he opened his eyes.

Her vision then smiled at him, before disappearing from his subconscious. In that moment, he wished that her vision had stayed. He…

He longed for her presence.

His fear had come true.

He had fallen for her, beyond what he had felt before.

Nevertheless, he knew he couldn't show it to her. He feared hurting her more than anything else. He didn't want to break another heart ever again.

* * *

 _In Fox's room_ …

Fox put a white bath robe on and a towel on her hair after she took a hot shower. She had walked across her room to get changed when **Firewalker** rang on her communicator. She opened his call through audio and greeted him.

"Yo, Foxy, were you at the briefing with Cap?"

"I was. I noticed _you_ weren't there. Where were you, Drake?"

"Look, I can explain. Well, not really, but, just needed to know what we gonna do once we land in Wakanda. So that way, I don't oversleep or something."

"Where were you, Drake?"

She sat at the foot of her bed and unraveled her hair from her towel. She heard him subtly sigh on the other end of the call.

"I tried to see if I could hit up that girl, Ember, ya feel me?"

"Good God. You just can't keep it in your pants, huh? It's one thing hitting on one of the other girls on the team but one of the enemies inside the cell block? Come on."

"Look, don't hate, Foxy! Plus, Phantom-man said he's thinking about recruiting them. So, why not? She like fire, I **am** fire. I figured I should try to help convince her, ya know?"

"Mhm. So, what happened?"

"Eh, I don't want to talk about it."

"Whoa," Fox chuckled, "Looks like you've lost your charm, _**Firewalker**_."

"Nuh-uh, I haven't lost **nothing**."

She rolled her eyes.

To his behest, she relayed to him what was said at the meeting.

"Aw, thank you, Foxy, you're a lifesaver, girl."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't mention it."

"You uh… you talk to Phantom at all?"

"About?"

"You know…"

Her heart skipped a beat. She closed her eyes and remembered in vivid detail the conversations they had before the attack on Alpha Base. Specifically, when he told her that he'd be willing to sacrifice himself to save this universe.

"No. I haven't talked to him about that. I… I doubt he cares anyway."

"Nah, don't sell yourself short, Foxy. Homie digs you. You just ain't see that yet."

" _Sure_. I just… I don't know _what_ I feel, Firewalker."

She stood up and walked over to her observation window, looking out into the waters several thousand feet beneath the clouds.

"Whatchu mean?"

"Is this love? Is this just an infatuation? Am I in love with a preconceived destiny that I **might** end up with him? What if my visions are just… they're just visions of _other_ universes? Where we ended up together?"

" **Shiiieeeet** , don't get all soap box opera on me, Foxy. Look, you dig the guy and he digs you. That's extra obvious to both Wolfe _and_ me. Like you jokingly suggested a while ago, you just need to get on your extra sexy lingerie, march up into that man's room, and tell him to take you."

She sarcastically laughed.

" **Not happening**."

"Alright, alright," he sighed, "Maybe I can do some reverse psychology shit and maybe get Ember to fall for me that way."

"In your dreams, Drake."

Once they wrapped up their conversation, she slipped into a silk night robe she kept in her belongings. When the base was attacked, she was only able to salvage her gear and a small selection of her clothing. This was something she valued since she enjoyed sleeping comfortably when she could.

Resting her body and closing her eyes, she delved into her slumber.

* * *

 _Fox's vision…_

Reaper's maniacal laugh echoed across the dark dreamscape. Images flashed through, along with sounds of screams, explosions, and bullet-fire.

A female R.O.G.U.E. armored agent ran through debris to try and save her male S.H.I.E.L.D. counterpart, who was pinned underneath an overturned pick-up truck. They were being surrounded by Reaper Sentinels and Wraiths. The agent stood her ground, shooting at their attackers.

 _The image flashes right as the Wraiths pounce on them._

She then saw a glimpse of what appeared to be Phantom raising his sword up into the air. He was wearing some type of armor, covering his entire body and head, propelled into the air by the suit's rockets.

 _It flashes again, to another scene…_

The setting changed to the one it was in her previous vision. **Reaper's Observatory**. The ceiling looked out into outer-space, with the edges of Earth visible on one side. In the middle, **Reaper** and **Phantom** materialized before her, both swinging into action, plunging their swords against each other, trying to best one another.

 _The scene violently shifted_ …

Images of **Phantasm** opening up a portal flashed by and a launch sequence sounded off across the entire asteroid. She looked up and saw the World-Ender Sentinel launch towards Earth.

 _It changed one more time…_

She was inside a closed container of some sort. Spider-Man was behind her, sitting down, and she was facing outside of a pane of glass. Phantom was on the other side, still inside the throne room.

He placed his hand against the window.

"Phantom?" she called out to him, placing her hand against his on the window.

"I wish we had more time, Fox."

"Wait… What?"

 _The scene shifted again…_

Her vision ended with her standing on a beach. She was still wearing her gear, but she was bloodied up, as though she had just finished fighting in a battle. She put down her hood and looked around.

She felt her heart drop when she saw the vision clearly.

It was her. She sat next to two little toddlers, a boy and a girl. The twins she had seen. Behind her sat another man, matching Phantom's build and stature. But, he seemed… cured, with no visible scars.

She approached them, trying to get a closer look, but they vanished out of sight.

* * *

She sat up as she awoke from her sleep. Her heart was racing and she was breathing heavily. She took a moment to look around her surroundings to make sure she was actually awake. After a moment of relief, she laid back down in bed, staring back up into the ceiling.

Her communicator read that they were a few hours from **Wakanda**. It was already night-time again outside. She just wanted to get a few more hours of sleep, but she was trying to process the vision she had just seen.

She wanted to talk to Phantom about it.

She knew she needed to.

* * *

 _In the medical bay…_

May sat next to Coulson while he rested. The doctors patched him all up and removed the bullets that had penetrated his skin. Now, they just needed him to recover. One of the bullets crossed his spine, so their primary concern is what nervous damage the bullets might've caused.

Hill had stopped by earlier to check on his progress, but he was still asleep. May was grateful for Hill's continuous support for him, knowing how much he meant to her as her friend.

She had fallen asleep for a few hours before a knock on the door woke May up. It was Peter. He was tapping on the door that led into Coulson's sectioned off room in the medical bay.

"Peter! Oh, thank goodness!"

She promptly walked over and opened the sliding metal door through the control panel. She couldn't contain her relief, embracing her nephew as hard as she could.

"Nice… to see you too… May!" he was able to say, nearly unable to breathe from her hugging him so tight.

"I was so worried that you didn't make it out of that alive! I was looking for you with the rest of the refugees, but Phil told me that you were okay and…"

"Yeah, there's… there's a lot going on right now."

"Come, sit with me, Peter."

She grabbed an extra chair and placed it behind her nephew. He sat down and seemed to have a nervous expression about talking to her.

"Is everything okay, Peter?"

"Well, first, I'm **really** glad to see you here, May. I was worried that you didn't make it out too. But, there's something I've got to tell you. I can't let my secret continue, especially with everything that's going on."

"What is it?"

"I'm… I'm **Spider-Man** , May."

"W-What?"

She was initially in shock. She couldn't believe it. For a moment, she thought that he was joking, but he was serious. A brief pause of silence followed, where she pieced together every memory she had of him to come up with the logical conclusion that he really _was_ Spider-Man.

All the late nights. All the weird science experiments in his room. The constant excuses for missed assignments or "field trips", it all made sense now.

"How long have you been this way, Peter?"

"For years now, May. To make a pretty gritty long story short: I got bit by a spider, I went through spider-puberty, and I ended up with these powers."

For over an hour, he described what had happened to him these past few years while she was oblivious of his second life. From his initial recruitment as part of the junior superhero team at S.H.I.E.L.D. under the guidance of Nick Fury, to meeting his friends who are also superheroes, to fighting Taskmaster when he was his gym teacher, to run-ins with The Beetle, to fighting the Green Goblin over the Hudson River, to meeting The Phantom, falling in love with Ava, battling Taskmaster and Deadpool, battling Magneto, the last two years, to now with the Reaper invasion.

May just sat and _listened_. She couldn't believe that the little boy she helped raise with her late husband was **the** Spider-Man. The masked superhero that used to swing from rooftop to rooftop over New York City. It was surreal.

By the end, all she could do was smile.

"I hope you're not mad that I kept it a secret for so long, May. I did it so that way nobody I knew as Peter Parker would get hurt if any of my enemies found out who I really was."

"Well, you know your secret's safe with me, Peter," she assured him.

His eyebrows shot up.

"I thought you'd be angrier with me."

"Why would I, Peter? Am I worried more than ever now? You bet I am! But, you're out here saving all these people, saving the world. I couldn't be prouder that you're out here doing all of this. I just… I just want nothing to happen to you!"

He reached out for her and hugged her before she could start crying.

"I'll be okay, May, I promise."

"I lost your uncle. I can't lose you too."

"You won't."

He assured her with all her heart and it gave him a moment of peace in this on-going war. With so much death, he felt fortunate to know his aunt was still alive. It was mostly thanks to the man who was recovering in the bed next to them.

Phil Coulson saved his aunt more than once, in more ways than Peter knew.

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Vengeance**_ _…_

The glowing red color of Reaper's eyes shined bright as he scanned Manhattan's skyline from the bridge of his personal ship. It was late afternoon and he had ordered for his Sentinel and Wraith hunting parties to begin sweeping Manhattan clean of the plague that was the **Resistance** that continued to be a thorn in his day-to-day operations.

Moros emerged from the corridors of the ship, dragging along the young **Aeolus** , who they imprisoned earlier after he failed to stop Specter Haven in Washington D.C. The young mutate was still in his wispy cloud-like elemental form, but he morphed into an icy humanoid form just as Moros slammed him onto the floor right behind Reaper.

"Here's the boy. As requested, my lord."

Aeolus looked up to Reaper, who kept his back turned to them, with only his black cloak and back of his helmet visible to them.

"It's a rare sight when I give a second chance, Aeolus," Reaper calmly spoke.

"Y-Yes, my master! I promise I won't fail this time!"

"I'm **not** sending you to stop Specter Haven again."

"Wait, w-what? I thought…"

"Things have changed," he firmly informed him, turning to face him.

"Master, I don't understand. I thought you wanted Phantom brought to you."

He chuckled.

"In time. For now, I need _you_ to form a dark thunderstorm _around_ the city. I don't care how you do it. I just need it powerful enough to prevent anything to break right through."

Aeolus nodded as he listened.

"Can you do that for me, my young Aeolus?"

"Y-Yes! Yes I can, master! At once!"

"Good."

Reaper patted the young elemental mutate on his shoulder.

"Don't fail me again, boy."

Without another word, Moros dragged Aeolus back, out of the bridge, off to do his duties. Reaper resumed his observation of the city. The sight of it reminded him of Genosha before he left. It was in ruins. The Sentinels combed through the city, searching for the Resistance and any survivors, while the Wraiths hunted in drones, feasting upon any human that wasn't transformed.

Tombstone walked over, standing by his master. He gripped his staff with his right hand and observed alongside him.

"The end is **near** , Tombstone. When it arrives, we must do what is necessary."

The mute hooded mutate simply nodded. He glanced over to the Infinity Gem that was crested on his staff: The **Space Gem** , then back down to the one that was on his front chest-plate: The **Soul Gem**. He peered over and saw the ones on his master's iconic bracers: The **Reality** and **Power Gems**.

"While our victories have been vast in this universe and beyond, I did not expect **Phantom** to have lasted this long. He should be dead by now. Fortunately, we still have a few tricks up our sleeve, don't we, Tombstone?

"Soon enough, we'll finally come to decide the fate of this universe. Only then, will my life mission be complete and true peace return. If we fail, then we won't hesitate to ensure that the violence will cease to exist… for all time."

* * *

 _Back on_ _ **Justice I**_ _…_

A S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet landed on the tri-carrier, arriving from the S.H.I.E.L.D. fleet that had departed to the Atlantic after they crossed South America. It carried the "new team" that Director Johnson had promised to Hill. So, she summoned Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Phantom to the bridge to welcome the new team and get them up-to-speed while the other teams ran through training simulations that evening.

As Phantom departed his room, he ran almost face-first into Fox, who was on her way to see him, still in her night robe.

"Whoa, Fox. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to run into you!"

"No, no, it's okay, tonto, I should've looked where I was going too!"

"It's alright," he nervously chuckled, "It would seem that you were coming to see me, though. Is everything alright?"

She tilted her head sideways, gesturing that _something_ was up.

"I've… I've got something to tell you about, Phantom. I had another vision."

"Another vision? What was it about?" he attentively asked.

"Is there… is there somewhere we can talk about this? I know it's out in the open and…"

"I've got a meeting with the new team that just arrived from S.H.I.E.L.D. with Captain and Stark. Can this wait? Or is it urgent? Is it information that can help us win?"

She was a little taken back at Phantom's line of questioning. In truth, **no** , none of it was urgent and nothing she saw offered any new way of prevailing against Reaper. Although, the last part of her dream deeply concerned her, where Phantom wished they had "more time" together.

What did it all mean, though? She was afraid of telling him that her vision predicted that they would fall in love and have children because it might alter that possibility. Not that she was desperate for him, but over the years, she's realized that her care truly has morphed into something greater for Phantom.

He was confident in his decisions but vulnerable at his core to the worry that his existence brings danger to everyone around him. When, in reality, it brought security and peace to those that cared for him, especially her. The events on Island M helped solidify that for her, and now she wondered whether it was appropriate to let the man who had become her best friend, the man she had fallen for, stay oblivious of how she truly felt? Or does she tell him, let it all out on the line for him and figure out then whether or not he feels the same?

"Is… is everything alright, Fox?"

His words broke her silence. She had spaced out while thinking about what to answer.

"I… No. No, it's nothing that important, tonto. It can wait," she sadly concluded.

His masked eyes squinted, trying to read her. He softly reached out for her hands tried to make a mental connection into her subconscious. She felt a tingling sensation the moment their hands joined. The electrical pulses in his bracers didn't bother her anymore as it once did when they first began working together. His touch had become something she longed for.

She knew he wasn't going to be able to read her mind. She was the only person he knew that he couldn't read. For reasons he was unable to figure out. But, a part of her wished he could read her mind, so that she didn't have to explain how she felt.

When he realized he couldn't read her, he softly let go of her hands.

"Alas, your mind continues to evade me, Fox."

She giggled.

"I wonder if you'll ever figure out how to fix that."

To her surprised, he laughed back. Hearing Phantom laugh was an extremely rare sound.

"Maybe one day, Fox. Maybe one day. Although, I apologize but I really must go to this meeting before the Avengers deem me their next enemy. But, I'd _really_ like to hear your vision, when we have a chance."

This made her heart jump.

"We're set to land soon, aren't we?"

He nodded.

"Yes. We should be landing in Wakanda tonight. It'll be hectic these next few days."

"Then it sounds like we _need_ to make time for _us_ , right? To have that conversation, I mean."

He smiled behind his mask.

"I'd like that," he softly told her.

She smiled back.

"I guess I'll see you around, then, **tonto**."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked back to her room. He couldn't help but gaze at her from behind as she walked off. Her short night robe was very sexy.

"Stop staring," he heard her say right before she re-entered her room across the hall.

Nervously, he walked off into the elevator, feeling his heart pump with joy after talking with her. He couldn't' believe that all he could think about was her as the elevator landed in one of the hangar bays. Unbeknownst to him, he was stuck with the same questions Fox had: is it love?

Or is it something else?

"About time you decide to show up," Stark barked from across the hangar bay.

He stood next to Hill and Rogers, who nodded in his direction.

"I apologize. I got… held up."

"It's not a problem," Captain assured him, "Phantom, I'd like for you to meet our newest team to join the fight."

Phantom glanced over and saw a team of **four** characters, all suited in the same skin-tight attire, all with a visible **4** on their chests. It was two men, a woman, and a brown, rock-elemental type of humanoid. He stared at Phantom with beaming eyes.

"This is the **Fantastic Four** ," Hill politely introduced, "Four, this is **Phantom** , the leader of **Specter Haven**."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the fairly tall, bearded man greeted Phantom, "I'm Reed Richards. This is Susan Storm…"

He pointed to the woman, a blonde woman with blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. Phantom knew about her very well. **The Invisible Woman**. Some of her DNA was used that contributed in large-part to the **Athena-Class Projects** that created Specter Haven and their disappearing abilities.

"… Johnny Storm…"

The other man, who was a little shorter than Reed, nodded at him. He had dark brown hair and was playing with a spark of fire in his fingers. He was **The Human Torch** , one of Firewalker's personal superhero idols.

"…and this is Ben Grimm."

"Don't stare too hard or I'll knock your block off," The Thing grunted.

"Noted," Phantom firmly answered.

"He's just messing with you," Reed assured him, "We're pleased to finally be here. We felt that our abilities would be of some help."

"Greatly," Hill affirmed, "With the likes of Reaper, we need all the help we can get."

"I'm just a little confused here, Reed," Stark spoke out, "Last we met, you guys were still doing that science project up in the Baxter building. What happened? How did you guys get out of Manhattan?"

"We were actually contracted with S.H.I.E.L.D. in their R&D projects when the invasion hit the city," Susan explained, "We were still trying to save our work when then Agent Johnson showed up to get us out of there."

"Were you able to save your work?"

Reed gravely shook his head.

"All those years of research and studies… gone. Maybe we can salvage _something_ when this is all over but… that's a long shot."

"That just means we're itching for a fight. Just point us in the right direction and we'll hit it," Johnny Storm assured them.

"Good," Hill remarked, "Because the enemy we're fighting… is going to need one **hell** of a punch to knock him down."

Suddenly, a specialist marched up towards them.

"Director Hill, we're beginning our descent towards Birnin Zana."

"Thank you. We should probably head up to the bridge with his majesty."

* * *

 _ **Authors' Note**_

I don't know how to start this note off other than a major _**Thank You**_ for your continued support for my stories and the words that I've bled out onto these digital pages. Reading the chapters that Jack's forwarded to my inbox lately has inspired me to pick up this keyboard and return to what I've always loved for years now.

While Jack and I have worked (and will continue to do so) on this story through revising his written works, I'm happy to say that I'm returning as a full-time writer and that Jack will take a step back and focus on his schoolwork while I take from his example and keep pushing this story forward.

I appreciate everyone's support. I can't thank you enough for it. Keep an eye out for Jack's _The Phantasm_ story that follows this story up after it's all over.

 _ **As always, feedback is**_ _ **always**_ _ **appreciated**_ _._

Warm regards, **always** ,

 _ **Aferus**_


	40. The Human, Mutant Concordat

_**The Human/Mutant Concordat**_

* * *

 _Inside the communications room onboard_ _ **Justice I**_ _…_

After meeting with May, Peter walked over to the communications room, a fairly large classroom-sized space with all sorts of computers, monitors, and communications equipment where specialists continuously kept in constant contact with R.O.G.U.E. units and their assets around the world.

He carefully threaded past the rows of computers once he spotted **Mary Jane** and **Harry** on the other side next to a white-board. They had scribbled some things on it relating to Wakanda and a possible return to Manhattan.

" _Sooo_ glad to see you guys made it out safely from Alpha Base!" Peter kindly greeted them.

MJ turned around and smiled, hugging him tightly. Once they let go, Harry gave Peter a strong bro-hug.

"It's great to see _you_ made it out, Pete! We thought for sure you were going to be 'washed down the water spout'," Harry warmly humored.

"Very funny! No. But, we _did_ have a run-in with the mutates that Reaper sent. You know, the ones that are in the holding cells right now?"

"We _heard_ ," MJ worriedly told him, "Thank goodness you guys are okay, though."

"Always. So, what's the scoop? What's going on in the world now?"

"Well, let me show you."

MJ walked over to her laptop and pulled up a global map. Different countries were colored black and a few were colored pink.

"The countries in black are places we've lost _all_ communications with. We were able to pull out _some_ civilian militias, but we're not receiving _any_ form of contact from them now and nothing is receiving our transmissions there anymore. They're gone."

Her expression became grave as she explained it to Peter. It was as bad as she was explaining it. Whole continents were almost completely in the black. Europe was virtually silent, with a few areas in the Balkans in pink. Most of Asia was silent, to include China and Japan. Australia was holding out with a few areas in pink. South America had a few places left standing, while North America was completely shrouded in black.

"The areas in pink… don't look at me, MJ wanted to use that color... are places where we're receiving _some_ communication. It's in no means perfect, but something is better than nothing," Harry quickly explained.

Most of the interior of Africa was bright pink, to include Wakanda.

"His majesty has been doing his damnedest to keep the RSF at bay."

"Effectively too," MJ agreed, "He's bolstered other African nations with Wakandan units. Those guys _know_ how to fight."

He then looked up at Manhattan, which was in black. He overlooked it at first until he realized that the **Resistance** was still there.

"Wait. You guys made a mistake. General Fury and the Resistance are in Manhattan. We're still receiving contact with them, right?"

MJ and Harry exchanged looks, immediately worrying him.

" _You_ tell him, Harry."

"T-Tell me what?"

Harry looked over at him, trying to give him an assuring expression. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Peter. When we experienced our communications block during the S.H.I.E.L.D. attack, we lost contact with them. When we were back up and running, we sent them multiple messages and… we've yet to hear back from them."

"No… no… that's impossible. The battle didn't even last that long! Are you guys sure?! Does Hill know?!"

"Calm down, Pete. We're sure," MJ calmly told him, "She knows too. She thinks that the RSF is beginning to move on the Resistance based off their last intel report from them. Based off that, Fury must've ordered radio silence. But, that's just a hunch. We're not sure."

He took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Don't worry, we're keeping an eye on it as best we can," Harry assured him, "Best I can say is concentrate on your training, Pete. You guys are the superheroes! You'll knock 'em dead once we show back up."

"Knock them dead is _exactly_ what we're going to do, Osborn," a familiar, proud voice called out.

They turned to see **Tony Stark** march towards them in his slacks and a black dress-shirt.

"Mr. Stark," Harry greeted him, "What brings you down here?"

"My stuff from Stark Industries finally came and I've got a few new toys I wanted to show you."

"New…toys?"

"New suits, Osborn. There's one in particular I want you to see."

"This should be good. Alright, guys, I'll catch you all later."

They watched the two former titans of industry walk off and outside the communications center. MJ glanced back at Peter.

"I _know_ you're worried, Pete. But, don't let it bother you too much. We _are_ headed over there soon anyway, you know."

"I know, MJ, I know. It's just… I don't want anything to happen to those guys over there, especially Fury. He's a man who knows how to lead people. We can't afford to lose that now."

He looked up to Fury as his mentor. He had _just_ gotten him back after he was held as a prisoner for years and now he's out of his life again, leading the Resistance on Manhattan. He knows that that's where he needed to be, but Peter didn't have to agree with it.

She softly placed her hands on his arms to get his attention.

"Don't lose your focus, Pete. Everyone's counting on you. I am. Harry is. **Ava** is. Don't lose that focus."

"Thanks, MJ. I appreciate that."

She smiled and departed her hands.

"I've got to get back to work. I need to send a report to the refugees still waiting to leave for Wakanda. It's going to be a busy week ahead of us."

"That it will be. But, alright then, MJ. I'll catch up later once we land in the capital."

"Sounds like a plan. See you around, _tiger_."

* * *

 _Shortly after, on the bridge…_

 **Everyone** was called up to the bridge about an hour later once they had reached Wakandan airspace. Hill notified the team leaders about the successful arrival of the life-ships in Birnin Zana, the others looked out into the forward bridge window panels as they descended into a mountainous area covered in a thick jungle.

Wild horses could be seen running along the high-lands as the massive R.O.G.U.E. fleet uncloaked itself into view over the moonlit terrain.

Peter looked around, but he wasn't able to find any sign of a city or civilization anywhere. For a second, he thought that they were lost. Some of the specialists even exchanged looks of confusion.

His majesty, **T'Challa** , marched up to the front of the bridge, wearing a black ceremonial tunic with a tribal design of the Black Panther embroidered in dark grey on the back. He clasped his hands at his back as they fast approached the thick of the jungle.

"Transmit royal codes to the Wakandan air frequency," he ordered the specialists, to which they quickly complied.

"Um, guys. Where's the city? Are we just going to run straight into the jungle?" Nova nervously pointed out, "…guys?"

Falcon shifted to explain it to him, but Vision held him back.

"Let him figure out on his own."

The rear engines accelerated towards the face of the mountainous jungle. Nova closed his eyes, expecting a full-on impact.

"Codes accepted, your majesty."

Peter watched as the jungle disappeared into a translucent form, exposing some sort of camouflaged invisible force-field. The fleet entered this wide force-field and suddenly, the lights of a city came into view. It was no small city either, it was a massive metropolis.

"Welcome to **Birnin Zana** , the capital of **Wakanda** ," T'Challa warmly spoke.

The teams approached the windows and observed with detail this hidden city. Most of them knew that Wakanda was an extremely technologically advanced nation, but for the few, like Peter and his team, as well as Specter Haven, who had never stepped foot in the illusive country, were in awe at its magnificence.

"Look at that! They have a monorail system!" Nova pointed out, "Wooo, look at that baby go!"

" _That_ interests you, Alexander?" Ava sneered, "Take a look at that Black Panther monument at the top of that mountain overseeing the city!"

Peter glanced outside the city and saw a giant encampment. The refugee camps. He could make out the shape of the life-ships there, as well as a visible number of people huddling out of them.

In the surrounding airships, jets patrolled the perimeter of the city, along with ground transports scanning the borders. In the encampment, they had set up some sort of processing point to gain access into the camps.

"I've got to hand it to you, your majesty," Phantom commented, "You've done an impressive job keeping this nation safe."

"It's not just here, either. I've sent my warriors to our neighbors to provide protection and aid. We are dedicated to keeping our Nigerian neighbors to the south as protected as can be, as the ports there will provide an important staging point for our forces."

From the ground, the people of Wakanda looked up and pointed at the sky as the armada of R.O.G.U.E. heli-carriers and heli-destroyers entered into view. Hill quickly dispersed the formation and, as directed by his majesty, sent the most damaged ships for repair at a facility behind the mountain.

"My sister, **Princess Shuri** , will oversee some improvements to the fleet," T'Challa explained, "While we are usually untrusting of handing our technology to foreigners, the circumstances have encouraged cooperation."

"This is _amazing_ ," Ava observed in awe, "I've read so many books on this mysterious nation. Hell, I even wrote a paper about it back in AP World History. Just a few years ago, everyone thought this was one of the poorest countries in the world. Who would've thought?"

Suddenly, they heard an audible grumble amongst somebody in the teams.

"That was me," Wolfe grunted, "Sorry, I'm starving over here."

"When are you never hungry, old man?" Firewalker sighed.

"If I stay this way I might just chew on your arm, boy."

"That's disgusting, homie."

* * *

 _At the Royal Palace…_

The palace was situated on one of the larger skyscraper buildings in the heart of the city. Phantom's team and Spidey's team both were shuttled there via a Quinjet, as did a few other teams. The Avengers, The Underground, and The X-Men departed for the refugee camp to see what help they could directly provide and to see where the foreign armies and militias stood in fighting capability.

The Reality Jumpers, to include Cable, stayed on-board _**Justice I**_ with Professor Xavier to begin drafting what was to be the formal agreement on which mutants and humans would be regarded as equals. It was a last-minute request by Professor X, one that Hill was determined to fulfill as soon as possible now that their timetable moved up to bring the fight to Reaper.

Peter felt like they should've be over there helping as well, but Cap assured him that they were fine. They didn't want to overcrowd the camp with superheroes and that they would be called upon if need be.

Once they landed at the palace's landing pad, T'Challa showed them where they'd be staying at, or at least the door to their "apartment". He also ensured that they knew where the training rooms were so that way they could get started on preparing for the battle ahead. The small tour was cut short by a call from **Okoye** , his most trusted general, to go read an internal security report at the command center on the other side of the city.

"I apologize for that, I must tend to other matters," he apologized, "Are there any last questions before I leave you to your duties?"

Sam raised his hand. T'Challa looked unenthused, as this was Sam's twelfth or thirteenth question now.

"Yes, Mr. Alexander?"

"So, we're good to like… explore the city, right?"

The king rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but I stress to you that you need to prepare. The Avengers and I are planning to run a few simulations of our own alongside the X-Men. If we are training, you and your team **should** be training as well. But, the city is open to explore. As I said before, most of my people are helping with the refugee situation. So, some shops and restaurants may be closed for now."

"Understood. Thank you, your majesty,"

"Stop asking questions, Sam," Luke murmured.

"Alright. Well, I must be on my way. I leave the responsibility of your team to **you** , Mr. Parker."

Peter nodded.

"I won't let you down, sir."

And just like that, the Black Panther left their side, leaving them alone in the corner hallway nearest the kitchens and what appeared to be a living room area.

Phantom walked over to where he stood and looked at both the teams.

"Well, looks like we're here. Specter Haven and I will be taking a Quinjet out to the military camps. Our junior mutates have arrived from their battles at the front and it's been a while since we last talked to them. We need to see how they're doing."

"Got it. I guess we'll stick around here," Peter informed him.

"I'd recommend _trying_ to get some food and run a few simulations to wake yourselves up. I know that it's late at night, but everyone is still jet-lagged from the trip. We need to make use of the time we have now before it gets too late."

"Don't worry, Phantom, we'll be fine," Sam assured him, "Now go see your junior guys, tell them we said hey."

"And that we cannot wait to fight alongside them!" Danny added.

"We'll make sure to relay the message," Fox warmly noted.

They watched Specter Haven leave the hallways, back towards the landing pad. For the moment, they stopped to marvel at the amazing palace design. The Wakandan décor was very tribal, but elegant. Paintings depicted hunts out in the wilds and there were murals that depicted their history throughout time. It was surreal.

"This place is **amazing**. I can't wait to see the city!" Sam exclaimed, barely containing his excitement, "I heard the legal drinking age here is 18!"

"I knew that's what you were wanting to do," Luke chuckled.

"Uhm… _**yeah**_. Don't get me wrong. I don't' really care for alcohol to begin with but I enjoy a good drink when I can drink without a hassle!"

"Come on, guys. We should really start our training sims," Peter tried to reason.

"Webs, we've got a week! Chill out!"

"He's just trying to avoid the _ass kicking_ that's waiting for him," Ava quietly told him, "Let them have their fun."

"I agree with Peter. Training is a must. We still have to sharpen our strategy," Danny concurred.

"You guys are boring. We're in the last free country on the planet! Let's enjoy it!" Sam confidently expressed.

"Can we eat first?" Luke asked, "I'm really hungry."

* * *

 _On-board_ _ **Justice I**_ _…_

Phantasm, Wren, Cable, Professor X, Wolverine, and Director Hill sat around the conference table deliberating on the details of **The Human/Mutant Concordat**. Late night turned into early morning by the time they got details of the introduction of how this agreement was going to be proposed.

The issues lied heavily on the fact that there was no form of government anymore. R.O.G.U.E. operated by its own charter that was adopted from S.H.I.E.L.D., which heavily enforces the U.S. Constitution when in domestic territories. Apart from that, their role was to protect humanity, with no clear indicators deciding what constitutes as a mutant.

The primary dilemma was on what authority were they justified in creating an agreement that would protect the natural rights of both humans and mutants when every doctrine or decision that's set the precedence before has been thrown out the window with Reaper and his invasion virtually destroying all of civilization.

"Did you two run into this situation in any of the other universes?" Cable curiously asked the Reality Jumpers out of the blue.

Wren shook his head.

"Not really. Some of the universes we walked into had leaders that weren't keen on cooperating with others. Reaper's support for mutantkind is sort of the reason why nobody really cared on helping mutants to begin with."

"What about you?" Selena asked the time-traveler, "Have you seen this happen in the timelines you stepped through?"

Cable shook his head.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Hill irritably asked, "Look, professor, all I'm saying is that _if_ and _when_ we rebuild the world, this document will lose its significance. There will be bureaucrats coming out of the woodwork to try and stop it."

"But, the fact of the matter is, director, that _we're_ the ones in power at the present moment. We _cannot_ concentrate on what _might_ happen in the future when our future is happening _now_. This doctrine is what will set the precedence for all future treaties. This is what I've been fighting my whole career for: equal rights for all of mutantkind."

"I one hundred percent _understand_ that. I just need you to be aware that its legitimacy will in no doubt come into question once this war is over."

"Look," Wolverine suddenly spoke up, "Can I say something?"

"By all means," Cable obliged.

"Look, this is simple, everyone. We get our asses down here and start coming up with rules that will define legal natural rights for both humanity _and_ mutantkind. It's _that_ simple. The ruler of this country seems to be on-board with it and his nation is one of the last free-standing nations left. It's not like we're asking to be made rich or to be kings or queens here, we just want a promise made that when we put our best foot forward to save us all, that **we're** not going to be subjugated to the discrimination we have been ever since our existence was discovered.

"Because, let me make it clear to **you** , director. The moment this war is over, and things go back to the way things once were, you can bet your ass that this truce will end. I'm not going to let another single mutant be treated the way they've been treated since the start of all this!"

Wolverine's voice grew more threatening with each word he uttered to Hill.

"Calm down, Logan," Xavier angrily ordered, "It's that same kind of thinking that led Magneto to committing the acts of violence that he did!"

"Exactly," Cable concurred, "The only way forward is by **trusting** one another. However, as the professor stated, Director Hill, we have the power to do something. Trust me when I say this, our actions today will directly affect the future. Order **needs** to prevail against this chaos."

"And I wholeheartedly agree. Alright, well, I say we go ahead and start drafting this document, then. I'll bring Stark, Rogers, and T'Challa up here to help with it. Having a head of state validate the concordat will give it significance for before and after the war."

"Of course. Alas, I wager it will take us a few days to work through it," Xavier solemnly pointed out, "There is no going back once it's signed."

"Very well. Then, I'll make this our biggest priority while we're here."

Hill stood up, taking a moment to briefly stretch after having sat down for hours.

"Day one in Wakanda. Let's get to it."

* * *

 _Down at the camps…_

Phantom, Fox, Firewalker, and Wolfe trekked through one of the camps where they were told their junior members were located in. The camp itself was large, about the size of a small town with hundreds and hundreds of tents of all sizes. Small chain-link fences formed the perimeter of each camp and Wakandan warriors kept the areas secure.

This camp had several militants from all over the world. Phantom recognized them as mostly Chinese and Russian soldiers. The soldiers gave them puzzled and checkered glances and expressions as they walked by.

"I'm going to dig their eyes in if they keep staring at us," Wolfe darkly muttered.

"Easy, big dawg. We don't want a fight up in here," Firewalker reminded him, "We all on the same side here."

"If you say so."

"The Cold War is over, man. Keep it one-hundred, alright?"

There were _some_ commodities in these camps. There was a large "mess-hall" in the center where a long line of soldiers stood posted with plastic trays in their hands awaiting to be served.

Their uniforms were dirty, muddy, some had dried blood splattered on them, and a rare few had clean uniforms.

Phantom could see the desperation in some of their eyes. They had seen a lot. The type of warfare that Reaper and his sentinels have introduced to the world is one they've never imagined of fighting. Some of them had their eyes wide open, staring off into the distance, psychologically damaged by their battles.

"I don't want to imagine the level of PTSD these guys got," Firewalker commented.

"If they survive this war," Phantom observed, "They will never forget the things they've seen."

"It'll stay with them forever," Wolfe concluded, "trust me on that."

Suddenly, a Russian soldier came bursting out of a tent. He had splotches of dried blood on his uniform and he began screaming at the group. He rapidly staggered towards Fox, trying to grab her and scream a slew of things in Russian at her. Phantom instinctively stood between her and him and held him back. Some of his fellow soldiers quickly ran out of the tent to restrain him and drag him back inside while he continued to scream.

"Are you okay?" Phantom softly asked.

"I'm fine," she assured him, "He was clearly disturbed."

"You know Russian, don't you, Phantom? From your days in S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Firewalker questioned, "What did he say?"

Their leader simply glanced back at the tent where the man had rushed out of, then slowly looked back at Firewalker.

"He said ' **they turned my friends into them** ', ' **bring them back, please** '."

Without another word, Phantom resumed their path towards the tent where his juniors were located. The three of them simply exchanged looks and followed on.

Finally, they reached the medium-sized tent. They all entered in to find a number of cots with green expeditionary cases lined up next to each one as though it were a nightstand. On the cots, some lying down, some sitting up, were their students.

 **Geode** , **Flurry** , **Maelstrom** , **Aspect** , and **Miss Mercury** all looked up, in initial shock, to see their leaders stand before them.

"Holy crap!" Maelstrom exclaimed, "It's…it's…"

"Don't worry, kids," Firewalker stepped in, " **Daddy's** here."

They all got up and walked over to greet them. Firewalker broke formalities and gave each of them a warm hug, which encouraged Fox to do so as well. Wolfe and Phantom settled for a simple handshake.

"Damn! We didn't think we'd run into you guys again!" Geode excitedly pointed out, "But, we kept hearing about what y'all were up to!"

"Same here! We heard you all were doing an amazing job on the frontlines," Fox proudly informed them, "I'm happy you all are okay and safe."

"Oh, we had our close calls with death, though!" Maelstrom assured them, "But, we've kept it together."

"Will we be joining you guys in the next fight?" Miss Mercury curiously asked, "We overheard some of the other R.O.G.U.E. agents talking about a final push to Manhattan?"

"We're working out the details, yes," Phantom politely answered, "We're going to need _**everybody**_ out there with us when the time comes. That's why we came to see how you guys were doing."

"Oh, stop lying, Phantom," Firewalker jested, "We missed you younglings, for real."

"We missed you all too," Flurry gladly reciprocated.

"Hey, has Master Phantom and Madam Fox started dating, yet?" Aspect blurted out.

This caused both Phantom and Fox's eyes to widen at the question. They slowly glanced at each other.

"Aspect!" Geode scowled, "We agreed we wouldn't talk about it!"

Fox slightly blushed, trying not to lock eyes with Phantom again.

"But, are you guys?" Flurry repeated the question with curiosity.

"Uhh…" Phantom was at a loss for words.

Wolfe caught the cue and moved in.

"Now, now, we'll talk about that later, you pups," he urged them, "Now, let's talk about what you've all been up to. I'm dying to hear about it!"

He pulled them aside to the other side of the tent. Firewalker looked back at Phantom and Fox and gave them a wink and a thumbs up as he joined Wolfe in listening to their stories.

She looked back at him with a slight smile.

" _Awkward…"_ she simply whispered to him.

"Very."

"I suppose, though… we should _probably_ give them an answer, don't you think?"

Before Phantom could answer, she approached them and joined the others in listening to their stories. His heart skipped a beat when he heard her ask that, but he knew that it was a discussion for a later time. He followed her to join the discussion.

Geode explained about what happened after they joined up with R.O.G.U.E. and were deployed to different parts of the world alongside their special units. They first helped in evacuating Eastern Europe. The others pitched in with descriptions of what they witnessed upon arrival and during their battles, recounting how the RSF was fearsome. Their sentinels were ruthless in their attacks. They kept pushing them back until they were already in Russia.

Miss Mercury added that they had a lot of close calls, as Maelstrom had mentioned. Maelstrom had almost been obliterated by a Juggernaut-Class Sentinel on multiple occasions as he tried to find weak points in their armor. Flurry, on the other hand, was almost Wraith food when she got herself cornered by a whole mob of them before they ran in and helped her escape them.

"That was _not_ fun," she remarked on that.

"It sounds like you've guys seen a lot more action than us," Firewalker observed, trying to give them positive points.

"Yeah, but you guys fought alongside the Avengers and Spider-Man and the X-Men!" Maelstrom excitedly pointed out.

"Spider-Man's here?" Flurry awed, "Any chance we can… meet up with him?"

"Whoa, slow down. He's spoken for!" Geode joked.

"Oh… Well… pfft…"

They laughed amongst each other, exchanging stories and such. Wolfe tried to push in a reminder for them not to forget how to work together without their powers, recounting their obstacle course that he had them run back at **The Sanctuary.**

Phantom remained quiet for the most part. He was deeply overjoyed to have his juniors of the team finally back with them, reminding him of that familial unit they had built for two years. Besides his conversations with Fox, they indirectly made him feel "normal" for once. They gave him purpose.

For the remainder of the morning, they went through some training simulations back at the palace together as a team. They got to see the junior mutates run through one simulation against holographic Wraiths and observed how they improved as a team. They themselves ran through another simulation, just the four of them.

The popular vote afterwards was that Fox and Phantom run through a simulation together, to which they both didn't turn down.

They all watched in awe as the two of them fought, back against back, holding off the several waves of holographic Wraiths that launched at them. Phantom's traditional style of sword-fighting was complimented with Fox's usage of double katanas. When they shifted around the battleground, she would use her agility to twist herself around Phantom's body so that she protected his exposed sides while he moved around to protect her own.

This fighting style was something they both perfected while at The Sanctuary, fighting alongside each other. It was unintentionally very physical and intimate, but it worked for them.

Wolfe coined it plainly with the phrase:

 _ **"Having sex while fighting."**_

* * *

 _Out in the streets of Birnin Zana…_

Peter and the others took most of the morning after eating exploring the city at Sam's behest. They walked through the merchant's district, which was filled with different vendors selling all sorts of merchandise from their wooden stalls. It was like stepping into a completely new world. They sold all sorts of silks, clothing, foods, and uniquely crafted items for everyday use. They had never seen anything like it before.

Although, King T'Challa was right, as they soon noticed. There were quite a few parts that were simply empty, without a sign of life in the buildings surrounding it. Seeing this is what brought them back to reality, seeing that even the sheltered people of Wakanda were still living in the global conflict that has taken their planet.

After their brief sightseeing morning, they returned to the palace after Ava insisted they get some training simulations in. Before doing so, they visited their quarters within the palace itself for the first time, using the key that T'Challa left them to enter what they discovered was practically a luxury apartment.

"Oh my God," Sam gasped as he couldn't contain his excitement when he first saw it.

The "living room" was two stories high, with beautifully crafted leather furniture surrounding a firepit which served as a traditional fireplace. A hole in the ceiling was visible to where the smoke can escape. Beside that was a huge television screen on the furthest wall, which was symmetrically flanked by tribal masks for décor.

The far-left wall of the living room was one giant window that overlooked the entire city from the high-rise palace. A magnificent kitchen made with black wooden cabinets and white marble countertops was perpendicular to the living room and sat at the core of the first floor.

Behind the kitchen was a long table with a monitor on the wall behind it. It must've been some sort of conference or dining room connected near the kitchen. Next to the opening to the kitchen and connected to the conference room was a library or study. It had desks, state of the art computers, rows of bookshelves, and a small fireplace at the far wall. Ava visibly fell in love with that room.

There were two staircases that led to the upstairs, one at the far end near the living room television monitor and another one directly to the right of the front entrance next to a beautiful fountain with a statue of a Black Panther on the prowl and water.

Visible from the first floor was a hanging corridor that looked out into the two-story high living room. Beyond the walls into the second floor was six bedrooms, each of them the same size with the same king-sized bed. Sam quickly discovered the one with the jacuzzi and claimed that one as his own.

"Oh my god, oh my god, I freaking love this place!" Sam exploded, "Look at it! Just look at it! It's our own private apartment, guys! What do you guys think the rent's at?! Oh, that's right, we're guests here!"

"Knock it off, Sam. Keep your calm, man," Luke coolly warned him, taking a seat down on the comfy leather furniture, "Oh my, I can fall asleep on this."

Danny peered into the kitchen, his eyes widening upon its fully stocked pantry.

"Surely, we are hungry, no? I will prepare something for us all."

"Guys, come on. You all are acting like we're on vacation!" Ava harshly pointed out, "I mean, yeah, it's nice, but we're not here to enjoy ourselves. The planet's getting invaded and we **need** to get the training sims in so that we're ready for the upcoming battle!"

"She's right, guys," Peter added his voice, "We're going to the training simulator **right now!** "

Before they could gather the team, they heard Luke snoring on the couch. He was passed out.

"What did you guys say?" Danny poked his head out from the kitchen with a chef's hat on, "I just found some chicken to cook!"

Ava was losing her temper.

"I _said_ we need to-…"

Sam came waltzing out of the library with a stack of books and approached her.

"Ava, darling, I've got a bunch of good books here with your name on it!"

"Sam, this is serious!"

"So is… this economics professor who wrote this book! This book on the history of Latin America? Africa?"

"Sam, we're not in high school anymore. Stop trying to change my mind and get your helmet ready for your _beatdown_."

He shuffled the stack of books he had.

"What about these _steamy romance novels?"_

This peaked her interest. She squinted at the books in question and swiped them off Sam's hands, prowling off into the library.

Peter sighed.

"Great."

"Come on, web-head, _enjoy yourself_ a little," Sam tried to reason with him, "Look, we've got a week, right? Four days at best. We've got time. Let's go out, have a little fun, then spend a day or two in the simulator. What do you say?"

"You had this _exact_ mentality in high school, Sam. Remember how you said we'd all study on Sunday, _before_ our huge exam on Monday. We ended up fighting some other _bad guy_ for two days straight and we had to squeeze a day's worth of studying in the hour _before_ the exam. Remember that?"

The last member of the Nova Corps simply nervously grinned.

"That's what I thought."

"Oh, come on, Pete! Look, we can **die** by the end of this week. You don't know that we'll get out of this alive, **do you**?"

"I…"

"I'd rather live for today than to always worry about the future, web-head."

Peter walked past the kitchen, seeing Danny hard at work cooking up something good, and glanced into the library. Ava had stuffed her face into reading one of the books: _**Thundering Hearts**_.

"If I were you, I'd make sure to spend the most time with her, Pete," Sam quietly told him in confidence, "Just trying to help you guys out is all."

"Thanks, Sam."

Suddenly, his communicator vibrated. He lifted his wrist and looked at it. It was a call from Harry. He looked at Sam and excused himself to the landing on the second floor.

"What's up, Harry?"

"Hey, Pete! How are you enjoying Wakanda?"

"It's a different world, man. What about you?"

"Good, good. I've been here a few times on business. It's nice to see this place still unaffected by the war."

"For sure. So, what's up? What did Mr. Stark want to show you?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Pete. Mind if we meet up and talk about it over dinner? There's this fancy place open near the palace. It's on the 32nd floor. I'll send you the location via text."

He heard something sizzling on a skillet in the kitchen directly below him. He didn't want to skip out on Danny's meal, but it _was_ Harry. He wanted to see what one of his closest and oldest friends had to tell him.

"Sure. I'll be there, Harry."

"Sounds great, man! I'll see you then!"

* * *

 _Earlier at Wakanda Central Command…_

T'Challa arrived at **Okoye's** request to central command, where the day-to-day operations around the city as well as the city's shield generator was remotely controlled from. He greeted his longtime friend and most trusted general with open arms, gesturing their custom of crossing their forearms in front of their chests.

However warm his greeting was, she didn't reciprocate. A grave expression was imprinted on her face. She gestured him to follow her through the corridors into their main command room, which mirrored the command platform at Alpha Base to some respect.

"What's the situation, Okoye?"

"First, you must speak with Director Hill. She sent a transmission from _**Justice I**_ _."_

She ordered one of the communicators in the room to turn on the specialized hologram projector, where Hill's entire self was projected as though she was standing right before T'Challa. She seemed to marvel at the technology, looking around the room.

"I'm still getting used to this technology," she wondrously commented.

"I see. What is the situation, director?"

She straightened herself out and cleared her throat.

"Well, I _just_ received some news from Director Johnson from S.H.I.E.L.D. She went through the ranks to find out who was still working for Sitwell and discovered a hidden **Hydra** unit that broke away from the heli-carriers the moment the battle ended."

" **Hydra**?" T'Challa repeated, "This cannot be."

"It is. It looks like the unit stowed away on one of our heli-carriers and has infiltrated Birnin Zana."

Alerted, T'Challa looked over to Okoye.

"We must send all our special hunters to find this unit and bring them to me at once. I will have none of these shadow agents in _my_ nation!"

"We've already begun sweeping," Okoye respectfully answered, "But, if they are as well hidden as we suspect them to be, it will take some time to find them."

"Do we have any idea what they are here for?"

Hill nodded.

"Based off the intel Johnson sent me, their new directive is to kill the junior members of our forces, specifically, **Spider-Man**."

"What, why?! What does he have to do with any of this?"

"I have no idea. The report from the director claimed that Spider-Man held some sort of value in regards to this entire invasion. This came out of nowhere for me too. We've battled S.H.I.E.L.D. and the RSF but I didn't expect **Hydra** , of all organizations, to come out and surprise us like this."

"At least we know they are here. Where is Spider-Man now?"

"He is at the palace, my king," Okoye answered.

"Then keep an eye on him for the moment," T'Challa advised, "Do not alert him to his imminent danger. We shall handle this accordingly."

"I insist on R.O.G.U.E. intervention," Hill strongly suggested.

"No. This is my arena, director. I will speak with the leaders of the other tribes so that the whole nation is alerted. These rogues will not stay out of sight for long."

"I understand. My resources are at your disposal if need be."

"You focus on that doctrine, Hill. That is your priority. I will find these monsters. Send us what you have. Also, do you have a name on the leader of this rogue unit?"

Hill nodded and pulled up a document.

"It seems to be a man by the name of **Dmitri Smerdyakov**."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hey everyone! Thanks again for all the reviews on the last chapter. Jack and I are pleased you guys enjoyed it. For this one, we laid down the groundwork for the next chapter, which we forewarn is going to be a **long one**. Think of it like a special hour-long episode. The next chapter will take Spidey and the team through different parts of the city while they handle this whole business with Hydra. It's going to focus more on the dynamics between Spider-Man, his teammates, and that of the four main Specter Haven characters. We're going to start it sometime this week or next week, but we pushed the due date for that chapter to October 21, just in case we need more time.

That being said, we did reach our **2/3** point in this story! So, after we post up the next chapter, we'll give you guys ample time to read it since it's much longer than the rest. Don't worry, we'll make sure it's worth the read, though. :) I've been waiting for this chapter for a while and Jack promised to pitch in his creative support for this one too. So, keep an eye out for that update!

Thanks so much again, everyone, for your support. I know this story's been locked for the majority of the past two years in hiatus hell, but your readership, Jack's support, has really put everything into perspective for me, guys. We're racing to that 2019 deadline.

 **Death Fury** , thank you so much, my friend. I appreciate your support and honesty! I need to catch up on your stories after I'm done with this! **The Story's Shadow** , again, thank you so much for your well thought-out reviews. Yours helped Jack shape the story through the chapters and it's given me perspective as I continue on my work. You're the best! **Nobel Six** , thank you so much, brother, please send me a PM when you get the chance. **Sport21** , yeah, I guess I loved this story too much, huh? ;) I'll make sure to relay that message to Jack.

Thanks again everybody!

 _ **As always, feedback is appreciated!**_

Warm regards,

 ** _Aferus_**


	41. Wakandan Rendezvous, Part I

_**Wakandan Rendezvous**_

 _ **Part One**_

 **A/N** : Hey again, everyone! So, this is Part 1 of our special chapters that Jack and I have pieced together. It's _really_ long, I know, I'm sorry! We were thinking of separating it into its own story but we felt this was the best route, separating it into long chapters. That being said, take your time reading it! If you're enjoying the content, I'm not worried about finding this chapter too dull or boring. But, regardless, we'll update later once we felt everyone's caught up. Thanks again, guys! Much appreciated!

\- _**Aferus**_ _& __**Jack Montero**_

* * *

 _Later that night, at the royal palace apartment…_

Once evening descended upon Birnin Zana, Peter got ready for his dinner meeting with Harry. He found a few sets of dress suits and shoes of all sizes in the closet of the room he decided to choose as his own at the apartment. He settled with a simple black suit, dress pants, and a white dress shirt underneath the jacket.

Just as he finished getting ready, he heard a knock at his door. It was Ava.

"Whoa, _somebody's_ ready for a date," she flirtatiously remarked, sizing him up and down.

"Aw. I wish it was with you, Ava. I'm just meeting up with Harry at a restaurant down the street."

"That's good! He's your best friend, after all."

"Exactly," he acknowledged, trying to fix the white collar of his dress shirt.

"Oh, here, let me help."

She gripped both the ends of his collar and straightened it out, sliding her hands down to his chest and abdomen, straightening the shirt out as best she could.

"Looking for something, Ava?"

"I don't know, _am I?"_

His heart skipped a beat or two, feeling her get lower and lower. But, a quick glance at the clock on the wall cut the moment.

"Sorry, I don't mean to stop you, but I've _really_ got to get going before I'm late. He's made reservations."

She giggled.

"Alright, Pete. Well, you look good. Don't let anyone else try to snatch you up, alright? Cause they'll be answering to _me._ You can bet that I'll unleash the tiger if I find out someone else is trying to take the spider from me."

This made him feel good. He'd missed Ava so much that he almost forgot about her tender care for him. She'd stolen his heart and she wasn't going to let anyone else have the pleasure of having Spider-Man's time and heart.

"You've got nothing to worry about," he softly assured her, "Besides, it'll just be a quick dinner. I'll be back before you know it and… I'd like to go through a training session with you when I get back."

"Training session? You sure you'll be up for it at the simulator?"

He inched closer to her, wrapping his hands around her waist.

"I meant… a session, just you and me... up here."

"Oh!"

She couldn't help but blush.

"I wouldn't mind."

Nerves ran high between the two of them. They had never talked openly about… _that_ topic. Sure, they've been intimate before, being physical. But, that opportunity was something they were never able to do before Sitwell separated them two years ago. Now they were older, with their wanting for each other higher than ever now. That was something they _really_ wanted to do, despite Ava feeling a lot more nervous about it.

With another glance at the clock, Peter gave her a sweet kiss goodbye, assuring her that he'd be back soon and walked downstairs and out the front door to the apartment. He exited the royal palace, past the royal guard and through the front gates of the palace and started heading towards the address that Harry had given him.

The streets were fairly filled with the people of Wakanda. He walked amongst them and noticed that they were carrying about their evening casually. There were nightclubs nearby where people still frequented, as well as restaurants and bars. It reminded him of how the situation was in **Rio de Janeiro** right before the RSF showed up and invaded. He couldn't help but feel so disconnected from the reality of the war that was on-going. These people didn't know the horrors that lie beyond their borders.

* * *

 _At the fancy seafood restaurant, a little while later…_

Peter reached the corporate high-rise and took the elevator up to the 32nd floor. Once the doors opened, he walked out into a waiting area where a line of several nicely-dressed people had formed, waiting entry into the restaurant. The restaurant itself was a platform hanging off the side of the high-rise, where a giant aquarium split the dining area in half.

The food smelled great from where Peter was standing, spotting all sorts of great food being taken out from the kitchens inside the building and out onto the dining floor to their respective tables. A lot of Wakandan locals were busy having fun, drinking, laughing amongst each other. The overall atmosphere of the area was very laidback and inviting, especially with the soft tunes of tribal-like music playing in the ambience.

Suddenly, a waiter came up to Peter and gently pulled him out of the line.

"Mister Parker, yes?"

"Yep, that's me!"

"Follow me."

He followed the vested bald man onto the dining floor, past the dining tables, and towards a two-person table at the edge of the platform. He spotted Harry, in a sharp suit and tie, smiling at him and waving.

"Here you are, sir."

"Thank you!" he told the waiter, taking a seat in front of Harry.

"Peter! It's so great that you could make it!"

"Thanks for inviting me. I figured we needed time to catch up."

"Agreed. I'll get us some drinks."

"Oh, no thanks. I don't drink."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Very well, more for me!"

Harry then gestured for one cocktail from the waiter.

"So, what's up, Harry? How'd your talks with Mr. Stark go?"

"Straight to business, Pete. I like it," he chuckled, "Well, he offered me to be his 'second', whatever that means, and wear the **Iron Patriot** suit that he was able to acquire."

Peter's eyes widened, shocked by the news.

"Whaaaaat? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," Harry coolly confirmed, "I told him I wasn't sure about it, but he said a few training simulations should catch me up to speed with how the suit works, which I found out, is pretty simple."

"Whoa, that's amazing, Harry! You sure you want to fight alongside us? Out there?"

"Hey, Pete, the way I see it, we're all going to make sacrifices here. If the CEO of Stark Industries can do it, why can't the owner of Oscorp do it too?"

"I like the way you think."

Another waiter walked by and politely handed Harry his cocktail drink.

"Thank you."

"Are you both ready to order?"

"Oh, no, not yet," Peter apologized, "Just a few more minutes, please."

"Take your time, sir."

Harry took a sip of his drink and glanced around the restaurant, spotting an interesting character within the crowd in line. He was an average-sized man, wearing a R.O.G.U.E. jumpsuit and trying to get their attention. The host wasn't allowing him through into the restaurant.

"Hey, Pete. Get a load of that guy trying to get in."

He put down the menu and looked over to the person in-line. Sure enough, he was trying to get their attention.

"I guess we should see what he wants."

In agreement, Harry waved a waiter over and asked him to let the man through. He clumsily walked past the waiters once he was let through and marched right up to them, nervously saluting to them.

"H-Hello, Mr. Parker and Mr. Osborn!" he stuttered.

He was a little shorter than Harry, with a small black-haired goatee, green eyes, long black hair underneath a black ballcap, and a fair shade of skin. He looked like he could be from Italy or from Spain, especially with his European-like accent.

"Hey, how's it going?" Harry quickly answered, "Can we help you?"

"Y-Yes! I am here for **you** , Mr. Parker!"

"What can I do for you?"

"I… yes, I am **Agent 22** from the intelligence branch of R.O.G.U.E.! I came all the way over h-here from _**Justice I**_ to send you a very important warning! There are people **here** , in Birnin Zana, in W-Wakanda that are trying to **kill** you!"

"What? That's nonsense," Harry skeptically pointed out, "This is Wakanda. The most protected country on the planet. Who would have the guts to go after him _here_ , of all places?"

Agent 22 nervously shrugged.

"I-I don't know, Mr. Osborn. But, Mr. P-Parker. You are in g-grave danger! I just wanted to warn you before something happened!"

"Why didn't Hill contact me with this information?"

"She is busy with other things, Mr. P-Parker. You must understand."

Suddenly, his spider-sense went haywire. He furrowed his brows, scanning the restaurant for the source of danger. Agent 22 had gone off to explain something, but Peter tuned him out in order to focus.

Then, he saw them.

There was a team of heavily armored, black-suited, rifle-in-hand, masked soldiers at the entrance. They pushed past the crowd in line. One of them held up a rifle at the host while the other six shot off rounds into the air, gaining everyone's attention.

"Oh no!" Agent 22 crouched down, "T-They're here! I'm not a weapons expert! Mr. Parker, Mr. Osborn, we n-need to get you out of here!"

Peter and Harry got down, crouching down with Agent 22 and sneaking behind the bar next to the aquarium.

"Everybody down!" one of the soldiers ordered, his voice distorted by his mask, "We are looking for **Peter Parker**! If you keep your heads down, no harm will come to you!"

Peter peered over the corner and saw them beginning to round up the people and searching each one of them, looking at their faces.

"You'd t-think they'd be able to find a single w-white guy here!" Agent 22 quietly remarked.

Harry pressed his finger to his mouth to gesture to 22 to shush it.

The armed men began to move onto the dining floor, scanning every table that had people sitting in them and looking at their faces. They were getting closer and closer. With no space to move and with their exits cut off, Peter quickly realized that they would have to fight their way through.

Without his web shooters, Peter was at a greater disadvantage. He knew Harry had taken _some_ martial arts and self-defense classes, so he would be able to hold his own, but he wasn't sure about 22.

"Hey, 22!" He quickly whispered, "How good are you on your fighting?"

"Bad! Really bad! I failed that part of my e-entry exam!"

Harry audibly sighed.

"I'm going to have a word with Hill about this."

Peter peered over once more and made his move. He grabbed the rifle barrel of the soldier closest to him and swung it, disarming him and then hooking his right fist to take him out. The soldiers around quickly identified him.

"It's him! That's Peter Parker! Shoot to stun!"

His spider senses went off the charts, detecting multiple sources of fire. He crouched low and took cover behind the bar again.

"That was amazing, Mr. P-Parker!"

"They're still shooting at us, Pete!"

"Just stun rounds, we should be…"

Suddenly, a stun round from a soldier across the platform shot off and went through the aquarium, completely shattering it and unleashing a wave of water and fish all over the bar and onto the dining floor.

They crouched close to the bar to avoid getting overly soaked from the aquarium, but the water slid right through the platform, causing some of the soldiers to slip and fall onto their backs, creating a small window of escape.

"Now's our chance! Let's go!" Harry ordered.

"Wait, no!"

Harry shot up and got shot with a stun round directly in the chest. He fell backwards into Peter's arms.

"Oh no! Mr. Os-Osborn!"

"Great," he sighed, "Now I'm stuck with the nervous intern."

"T-that's offensive, Mr. Parker!"

He gently placed Harry down and peered back up. The soldiers were recovering and a few were training their rifles towards the bar, knowing where he was now.

"Come on, Peter Parker! Come out! You're completely surrounded!"

"You guys have a lot of guts to come attack me here in the middle of Wakanda! You know I did a report on their criminal justice system here once! You'll be sorry when you get caught!"

He totally made that up. He had _no clue_ how justice works around here.

"We're going to give you until the count of 3 to get up or we'll blast the bar wide open and get you out of here ourselves!"

He rolled his eyes.

" **1** …"

"We should p-p-probably listen to them, Mr. Parker!" 22 advised.

"Don't stress it, 22. I've been in situations like this before. Let me just pull up my communicator…"

Peter lifted his wrist, in shock once he realized there was no service. A comm block must've been issued, presumably from his attackers.

"Well **shit**."

" **2…** "

He began scanning around, trying to find _something_ to pull the odds into his favor. There was nothing but liquor bottles scattered about. Peering over one more time, he saw that there was four soldiers directly in front of the bar, a few feet away.

Quickly, he pulled four liquor bottles close to his chest, grabbing one by its bottleneck and holding it out with his right hand.

"What are you d-d-doing? What's the plan?"

"Just stay close, 22!"

" **3**!"

Spider-senses rang off, but there was no time. Pete stood up quickly and began chucking the liquor bottles at the soldiers, hitting three of them on their heads before they had time to react, but the fourth one…

Well… he didn't have a rifle. He had a missile launcher.

"Why do you have a **missile launcher** , man?!" he angrily exclaimed.

In a split-second action, the missile went off and blew up the floor a few feet from Peter, violently shaking the entire hanging platform as a giant hole tore open from where the missile hit. The blast itself knocked Pete backwards onto the shattered aquarium.

"Mr. Parker, are you all right?!"

Before he could answer, the hole began to get larger and larger. The soldiers began moving back quickly as the entire hanging restaurant began to fall apart. The civilians cried out in fear, running out of the restaurant before it fell 32 floors.

Harry then began to mumble, suddenly waking up from being stunned.

"Ouch… that wasn't fun," he moaned.

"Um, Harry. You might want to step back!"

The Osborn looked over and saw the huge chasm and rushed back to the part of the platform behind the bar that was still standing.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Tell me you've got your web shooters, Peter!"

"Uh…"

"What?! How do you _not_ have your web shooters?!"

"I didn't expect to get jumped at a restaurant in the middle of Wakanda, Harry!"

"But, you're Spider-Man!"

"Yeah, so?! Why the hell did you pick a restaurant that's hanging **32 STORIES IN THE AIR**?! Riddle me that!"

"Watch it, Parker!"

"Gentlemen, G-Gentlemen! It's alright!" 22 interjected, "Look! There's an opening we can get to!"

The two young men looked over and saw a platform within jumping distance of the chasm that they could get to and back into the solid floor of the building.

"Think we can m-make it!?"

"Only one way to find out!" Peter obliged, standing up and trekking his way carefully beyond the bar and on the edges of what was left of the platform.

Harry and Agent 22 followed carefully, trying their best to keep their balance and _not look down_.

The platform continued to shake violently as it was losing its balance. It was maybe less than a minute from completely falling off the building. Finally, they reached the edge. Peter scanned around and saw the soldiers slowly make it across the platform and into the building from the far-right side, so he had limited time to make it across to get the jump on them.

"Alright. You first, 22," he ordered.

The nervous agent closed his eyes and jumped across, barely making it as his boots nearly slipped on the floor of the building.

"H-Hey! I made it!"

"Great, now watch our back!" Harry barked.

"Alright, come on, Harry. Just like how you used to jump in track," Peter jested.

"Very funny, Pete. We both know I didn't make the cut."

The young Osborn took a deep breath and jumped, making it farther into the building than 22 had. He got up and kept an eye on the soldiers, who were almost finished getting across into the building.

"Alright, Pete. Come on!"

Peter readied to jump, before his spider-sense suddenly rang stronger than ever. He glanced at the support beams and watched as they slowly broke apart, sending the _entire platform_ into freefall.

He wasn't able to jump off in time to make it to the building.

" **PETER!** " Harry cried, watching his best friend fall along with the entire restaurant.

While in freefall, Peter tried to tap his suit, looking for a spare web-shooter, or _something_ to help him from splatting right onto the streets below. Nothing.

Quickly thinking, he thrusted his body forward, closer to the side of the high-rise building, reaching his hands out to try and make contact with the windows. Once he tapped his hands, he felt like the skin was going to rip off his palms from the friction of stopping in the middle of the fall.

"Argh, damn it!"

Just as he got his grip, he looked up to see a slab of debris hit him at full force, and rip him off the side of the building back into his fall. This time, he was knocked out from the debris, and he landed hard. However, he didn't land on the street like the rest of the restaurant had: he landed into a sewer drain, where he ended up in an underground tunnel below the street.

Luckily for him, he wasn't conscious to feel the brute force pain as he landed.

* * *

 _Moments later_ …

As he slowly healed, he opened his eyes to a light beaming on him from the helmet of what appeared to be a service worker. The older-looking man stared strangely at him, his eyes widening when he realized the young white man had woken up.

"Are you okay, stranger?" he asked in a gruff voice, his thick Wakandan accent audible.

Peter couldn't initially answer. He slowly sat up, feeling as though he had broken all the bones in his body. After a slight cough, he finally looked upon the man.

"Where… where am I?"

He looked around. It was smelly, dark. It seemed to be some sort of underground access or maintenance tunnel.

"You took a pretty hard landing, young man. The ambulance should be here soon on the street above us. I can take you there, if you wish."

"No, no, it's okay!" he urged, "I've got to regroup with my friends. I can't be seen. There's people up here who want to kill me."

"I see," the man skeptically answered, frowning, "Well, to answer your question, these are the storm tunnels where rain water is collected and purified. These network across the city like a spider-web. If you continue _that_ way, you will end up at a tunnel entrance."

"Great, thank you so much."

The worker reached out his hand and helped him up on his feet. He had an expression of concern over him.

"Be safe, young man. Even Wakanda is not safe these days with the war going on. Keep that in mind."

"Thanks."

The man nodded and kept walking down the tunnel opposite of the direction where he had recommended Peter go. Once the light from his helmet dimmed out of sight, he had only the bioluminescent stones on the sides of the tunnel to use as a guidance.

He jogged, trying to ignore the constant bodily pain after falling 32 floors.

"I've got to get out of here. I've got to contact the others."

He tapped his communicator, which had a sliver of connectivity. He opened a channel up to try and contact Harry.

A moment of static followed.

"P…Peter, are you there?!"

"I'm here, Harry. I'm still alive."

"Holy shit, man! You survived _that!"_

"It's like you said… I'm **Spider-Man**."

"Riiiight. Well, where are you now?"

"I fell into a storm tunnel underneath the streets. I'm trying to work my way back to the royal palace, where I can regroup with my team and figure out what the **hell** is going on!"

"I hear you, buddy. Well, I'm still up here at the building. The Wakandan authorities sealed the building off, so I'm trying to raise Hill to get some help."

"What happened to Agent 22 and those soldiers?!"

"The soldiers used the elevator to get back down to the street-level once they realized you had escaped. Agent 22 ran after them to try and stop them himself."

"Why'd you let him do that? What could _he_ do against all those guys?"

"Hey, man. He obliged. I wasn't going to run after them. I don't even have a gun."

Peter sighed, having accidentally splashed water from a muddy puddle onto his dress pants.

"I think I should be near an exit soon. You said you were trying to raise Hill?"

" **Trying** , yeah. I can't raise her. I'll try a different frequency."

"Contact my team! We could use the help!"

"Good idea, I'll do that now!"

Suddenly, another contact chimed in. It was Agent 22.

"Holy c-cow! Mr. Parker! Are you still alive?!"

"Yes, 22. I'm still alive," he unenthusiastically answered.

"Oh, thank goodness! I was w-worried! I ran after those guys after you fell! They g-got out of my sight before I can a-a-…arrest them!"

"Right…" he skeptically dismissed him, "Well, can we get some R.O.G.U.E. back-up here?!"

"No can do, Mr. Parker! It seems these guys have put up some… some telecommunications block! I can't communicate with anybody except locally!"

"Great," Harry sighed, "I'll contact your team and see if I can get Specter Haven too."

"That sounds like a g-g-great idea!" 22 agreed, "In the meantime, I can pull up a map of your location, Mr. Parker!"

"Please, just call me Peter, dude."

"Got it… P-Peter! Anyway, I can see where you are on my map! I'll send the coordinates once your team shows up!"

"Sounds great, 22. Where should I go from here to get to the palace the fastest?"

"Oooh, let me pull it up, Petey!"

"Just Peter, thanks."

"R-right!"

"Did he just call you 'Petey'?" Harry subtly snickered.

"Here!" 22 exclaimed, "Keep going past the first three manholes you'll find above you and you'll end up right at the front of the palace on the fourth one!"

"Great, thanks, 22! Let's keep silence until then! Just in-case these weirdoes can hear us!"

"Sounds g-good, Peter!"

"I'll go ahead and contact the teams, Pete," Harry stated one more time before cutting out.

He kept jogging down the tunnel, trying to avoid the smelliness and following 22's directions to keep going past the first three manholes.

"Man, who are these guys? What the hell do they want with **me**?"

He wondered this aloud, trying to make sense of the situation. Within the ambience, he could hear sounds of sirens and traffic above.

"Good. That means the authorities are on their way. With the heightened security level, they should catch these guys in no time."

Minutes turned into nearly half an hour, which immediately alarmed Peter after he passed the third manhole cover above. He _knew_ that the palace wasn't _this_ far away from the high-rise building that the restaurant was located in.

Finally, he reached the fourth manhole and began his ascent up the rusted ladder prongs below the cover opening.

"Hopefully my team's got word from Harry and they're on their way to me."

As he opened it out onto the surface, he realized he _wasn't_ in front of the royal palace district anymore. He was nowhere near it, actually.

"What the hell?"

He looked around and realized he was in some sort of dark-lit marketplace. There were shady individuals walking about, purchasing all sorts of products at the small shanty-like stalls. He stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the crowd.

"I'm _not_ going back into those tunnels. Just have to get back from here."

Looking up, he could make out the royal palace high-rise a few miles from his location. He decided to start making his way there, past the lower buildings.

Relieved, he saw that his communicator regained signal strength, and a call came through.

"P..(static)… Peter, are you still there?!" Harry frantically called out.

"Yeah, Harry. I'm still here! I just got top-side but I ended up somewhere completely different. Is 22 there? He gave me the wrong directions!"

"Hey, Peter!" 22 cheerily greeted, "I'm r-really sorry about that! I t-thought my directions were right! This stupid map… it never works! Stupid map! Stupid Agent 22!"

"Hey, calm down, dude. It's fine. Just tell me where to go to get back to the palace."

"Just keep heading down where you are, P-Peter! Keep going down those rows of s-stalls and you _should_ end up at a r-r-road!"

He scanned the area once he got his new directions and saw car-lights down an alleyway about two football field lengths away from him.

"I see it, I'm on my way."

"Hold up," Harry interrupted, "I'm patching a team into our comms now."

"Peter! Peter, are you there?!" Ava's worried voice called out, "Harry called us a while ago. Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Ava. Did they catch you guys up to speed about what's going on?"

"Yeah, some weirdoes attacked you?" Nova butted in, "Jeez, who did you piss off webhead?"

"Shut it, Sam," Ava growled, "We're on our way to you, Peter! We couldn't wait for Black Panther to show up, so we just left! We should be there to you soon!"

"Thanks, guys! Did you bring my suit?!"

"Yes. You should bring this with you next time, Peter!" Danny respectfully advised.

"Got it, Danny, thanks.

"I've got another team patching through," Harry again pointed out.

Peter continued to scan the stalls. He couldn't find any sign of the authorities anywhere. Most of the market vendors and patrons were giving him strange looks as he speed-walked by. A few nodded at each other upon looking at him.

"Parker," Phantom's voice spoke firmly through the communicator, "Are you okay? What's going on?"

"Some random guys attacked Harry and I, man. Agent 22 here has been trying to help us out."

"Thank you for the recognition, P-Peter!"

"Where's your location? I'm bringing Fox, Firewalker, and Wolfe with me. Whoever this is, we're not going to let you fight them alone."

"Thanks, Phantom. I'm sending you my coordinates now."

"We're on our way."

"Hooooray! House party time!" Deadpool's voice suddenly blurted out.

" **Deadpool**? What the hell?!" Nova questioned, "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm trying to help out Spooder-man! Duh?! Why else would I be here? _Nobody_ lays a hand on my itty bitty spider!"

Ava sighed.

"I don't think you should come, Deadpool," Phantom advised.

"Oh yeah?! Well, I think _you_ need to just go ahead and tell Fox how _you_ feel! Can we get to that romantic part already!? It's bullshit that we're having to read you both beat around the bush like this!"

"We are _not_ talking about this right now!"

"Okay then shut up and let me help!"

"Fine!" Phantom finally settled.

A moment of silence followed.

"That was awkward," Luke commented.

"Are we going to just gloss over the fact we fought Deadpool and Taskmaster two years ago?" Nova pointed out, "Isn't he still a wanted terrorist?"

"Pfft," Deadpool chuckled, "Everyone's forgotten about that by now, boyyyy."

"Oh, before I forget," Harry spoke up, "This is **Agent 22** , guys. Hill sent him to help us out in this… this mess."

"Hi, e-everyone! It's an hon…honor to work with you all!"

Suddenly, Peter heard familiar distorted voices as his spider sense rang off. He glanced over and saw a team of the same soldiers marching through the marketplace. They seemed to be patrolling. No doubt looking for **him**.

"Why do you have a nervous tick?" Nova questioned, "And why isn't Hill helping us out directly here? Why did she send _you?_ No offense, but we need big guns, dude."

"Well… funny t-t-thing…"

"Shit wait…" Peter quietly interrupted, "Guys, they're **here**. They're in this marketplace! What the hell?

He hid behind some boxes next to an empty vendor stall. The team of about six or seven marched on by several feet away from him.

"Oh no! Be careful, P-Peter!" 22 worriedly commented.

"Bet you're never going to forget your web shooters again next time!" Nova joked.

"We're almost there, Peter. Try to keep them off until we're there!" Ava advised.

He tried to crouch behind the stall as the team of soldiers began turning around.

"He should be here by now," one of the soldiers grunted, "Let's split up. He told us to _not_ let him get away."

There was limited space to move between vendors, but he kept low and snuck across open spaces when available. The black armored soldiers continued to march around individually, scanning behind the stalls and every hidden spot.

One of them got too close to Peter, and so he had no choice but to sneak up behind him and knock him out by slamming his head against the ground. He turned the masked soldier around and spotted a red, distinctive **H.Y.D.R.A.** patch, with the skull and tentacles clearly visible, on the soldier's right arm.

"Crap," he quietly exclaimed, "Guys, these soldiers are **H.Y.D.R.A.** "

"How can that be possible?" Danny questioned, "I thought they disappeared."

"It's impossible to defeat them," Phantom lamented, "They always escape into hiding and return when they've become stronger."

"But what do they want with **me**?"

Then, his spider-sense rang off, prompting him to jump up onto the wall of the building nearby. A volley of stun rounds shot off from the weapons of two of the soldiers nearby.

"We've found him! He's here! He's here!"

Without a moment to lose, he rapidly wall-crawled _away_ from the marketplace and up towards the rooftop, all while dodging the stun rounds left and right.

"He's on the rooftop! Send in the Quinjets!"

"Q-Quinjets?!" Peter exclaimed.

Suddenly, he heard them. Two large Quinjets came flying into view on the rooftop above him, training their forward weapons at him. He had no way of dodging them once they shined their spotlights on him.

"Stay right where you are, Peter Parker!" a speaker sounded off on the jet, "We are taking you in."

"They've got me cornered, guys!" he spoke into the communicator as he raised his hands up.

The soldiers from the street level made it up to the rooftop through a fire escape and trained their rifles on him.

"Not for long they don't," Harry suddenly assured him.

This confused Peter. Did Harry finally get ahold of Hill and help was on the way? Were his teammates nearby?

"Wait, we have something coming into range," one of the soldiers grunted.

They redirected their rifles up into the air, but it was too late. A missile suddenly exploded off the sides of one of the Quinjets, damaging its rear wing engine and causing it to crash right into the other one, bringing them both down over the marketplace.

From the smoke of the explosions, an Iron Man suit came flying into view. But, it _wasn't_ Iron Man. The suit was red, white, and blue, with a visible white star on its chest-plate.

It was **The Iron Patriot**.

"Sorry I'm late, Peter!" Harry called out.

"Holy shit!" a soldier cried out, "Is that Iron Man?!"

"It doesn't matter! Take him down!"

Peter ducked as they fired off lethal rounds at Harry. It was no use. Each of them deflected off the suit's armor.

"Give me a second, guys," Harry politely asked, "I'm trying to figure out how to work this suit."

One of the soldiers stopped shooting, which prompted the others to stop. Harry was glancing at his hands, trying to figure out how to activate the combat mode of the suit.

"Take your time," one of the soldiers answered back.

"Have you gone insane?! Why have we stopped shooting! Keep shooting, men!"

They resumed their volley of fire at Harry, but he finally figured it out.

"Alright, I _think_ this is the primary laser fire,"

He aimed his hands at the soldiers and shot off multiple blasts of energy at them, causing them all to fall backwards off the rooftop as each shot shook them off their feet.

"There we go!"

"Holy crap, Harry! Is that the Iron Patriot suit?!" Peter asked in awe.

"How'd you know?" he chuckled.

He clumsily landed in front of Peter, trying to regain his balance right after.

"Still getting used to it?"

"Yeah, it's not easy, man."

"How'd you get it over here?!"

"Well, you were in trouble and I had it automatically deployed from the tri-carrier without Mr. Stark's knowledge. It's quick, but the scariest part is when it suits up on you."

"You know how to get out of that thing, right?"

Harry looked at him, then down at the suit, then back at him.

"I do not."

"Problematic."

They heard more soldiers on their way in the streets below. It looked like they had woken up a hive of these H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers out of nowhere.

"Let's get you out of here, Peter. Before they make it up here."

There was a catwalk that led off the rooftop onto the surrounding rooftops in the buildings around them. They led to expanded sections of the marketplace in the rooftops above them. It was very jungle-like in form, but it was their only route out.

"Can you fly us up?" Peter asked.

"Eh, I can barely fly myself yet, Pete. Better if I don't take you up with me while I'm still on the training wheels protocol."

"The what?!"

His spider-sense rang off again. This time, **three** Quinjets started shooting at them the moment they came into view behind them. They both ran with Harry behind Peter so that their rounds deflected off the back of his suit. The wooden catwalks were quickly eviscerated by the H.Y.D.R.A. Quinjets, but they stayed on the move, with Harry shooting blasts behind him as they kept moving.

But, they were quick and fast, knowing how to dodge the ill-experienced Iron Patriot suit quite easily.

"Is Mr. Osborn w-w-with you, Peter?!" Agent 22 nervously asked over the communicator.

"Not now, 22! We're a little busy at the moment!" Peter barked, "Where are you guys?!"

"We're here, man!" Luke coolly cried out.

They stopped and turned around once they realized the Quinjets stopped dead in their tracks. Peter looked up and saw **Tiger** leaping off the edge of a rooftop on _top_ of the Quinjet and slashing the front pilot's windshield and throwing him out. She jumped off and landed back on her feet in front of Peter.

On the other two, **Iron Fist** had jumped onto the back of the other and was using his fists to destroy the Quinjet's rear engine, while **Nova** was shooting down the third one with his energy blasts.

 **Luke** landed just in time to block off the soldiers from gaining access to the rooftop. They shot off several rounds that bounced off his chest as he slowly approached them. One of them just started running back down the fire escape because he didn't want to engage Luke openly. The rest were thrown off the roof once he got his hands on them.

Once they had taken the Quinjets down, they got a moment's pause.

"You good, Pete?" Luke asked.

"I'm good, man, thanks! You guys showed up just in time!"

Tiger marched right up to him and slapped him across the face. Pushing his spider-suit on his chest.

"Next time, you're _not_ walking out of that palace without your suit, **okay**?!"

"I got it, Tiger. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Before he could say another word, she embraced him tightly.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Pete," she whispered in his ear.

"Thanks, Ava,"

She smiled beneath her mask as she let go of him.

"Is that you, Harry?" Nova questioned.

He raised his arms to let the team take a good look at the Iron Patriot suit.

"Yep, it's me, guys. You can call me _**The Iron Patriot**_ , from now on."

"Eh, I think I'll just keep calling you 'Harry'."

"Same," Danny agreed.

"Yeah, you're still 'Harry', Harry," Luke added.

"Sorry, Harry. They're right," Peter concluded.

Osborn sighed.

"Maybe one day."

"Uhhh, _guys_ ," Tiger commented, "There's **another** wave of these guys coming right at us! Where's the Wakandan Royal Force? Where's Black Panther and R.O.G.U.E.?"

"22, we need some answers," Harry sternly requested over the radio.

"I'm s-s-sorry, Mr. Osborn! I'm trying to raise D-Director Hill, but there is still a c-c-comm block in the city!"

"Who the hell is he, anyway?" Nova asked, off the chat.

Peter shrugged.

"Sounds like a suspicious guy," Luke commented, "But, I guess if he's trying to help us…"

Then, at the horizon, beyond the district they were in, a small squadron of Quinjets were flying in their direction.

"Hey! It looks like R.O.G.U.E. decided to show up!" Nova happily pointed out.

Harry utilized the Iron Patriot's sensors to magnify the Quinjets in range. He spotted the H.Y.D.R.A. symbol on the sides of one of them.

"Um. That isn't R.O.G.U.E., guys. That's them!"

"Crap! Let's get to it, then!"

Harry and Nova took flight, while the others readied up for another ground attack. The Quinjets arrived and began to circle the rooftop they were on. Harry and Nova started to attack them, leading two of them on a chase, but the others were opening up their rear ramps, and armored soldiers began jumping out onto the rooftop and shooting at the heroes.

"Set to stun, boys! Take these kids down!"

"Oh, come on!" Luke shouted.

He ran towards them, bullets deflecting off his chest and arms, and body slammed a group of them all at once like bowling pins. He tossed two of them off and started fighting them head-on as he disarmed their rifles.

Another group landed behind them, prompting Iron Fist and White Tiger to spring into action and disarm them as quickly as they could before they had a chance to shoot them down. While Tiger slashed her away through them, Iron Fist punched waves down onto the ground to shake them off their balance.

"Get that suit on, web-head!" Nova shouted from above.

Peter hesitated, but quickly took off his suit and pants.

"Damn it!" Tiger exclaimed when she glanced over, "Why do I got to be fighting when you do that?!"

"Trust me, this isn't flattering to do right now!" Peter assured her.

He slipped on the Spider-Man vibranium suit and quickly fastened his web-shooters to his wrists, snapping the web canisters in and shooting a string up into the air, pulling himself and swinging towards the other soldiers.

"You guys want me?! Here I am!"

He fired off multiple shots from his shooters, blinding several of them at once right before he landed on his feet and knocked them down with his fists, kicking a few of them off balance before shooting strings at their chests and knocking them face down onto the hard rooftop.

"Holy shit! They're pretty strong!" one of the soldiers commented, "We need assistance over here!"

"No sir!" Iron Fist yelled, "You started a fight, you better stand and fight honorably!"

The Quinjets that were dog-fighting with Harry and Nova in the air broke away, dispersing a smokescreen in the air to blind them both, causing them to fly right into each other on accident.

"Watch it, Iron Dork!"

"It's **Iron Patriot**!"

"Whatever, man!"

From the rear ramps, _more_ soldiers showed up and shot electrical nets at them. One of them caught Iron Fist by his legs, wrapping around them and causing him to fall down on his back and electrocuting him. He shouted, in pain, for help.

"Danny!" Tiger cried, running after him.

Another net caught her and wrapped her arms to her chest and shocked her. She tried to force her claws through but they had wrapped her arms close to her breasts and keeping her from twisting her wrists.

"No! Ava! Danny! I'm coming!" Spidey shouted, swinging closer to them.

"No… wait!" Tiger warned.

The soldiers shot off another net and caught Spider-Man's hands, wrapping them closed and causing him to fall face-first onto the rooftop, next to Iron Fist and White Tiger.

"Damn it!" He grunted, trying rip the netting off.

Harry, Nova, and Luke saw their friends in trouble and disengaged from their fights to try and save them all at once…

…which was their mistake.

More nets were shot out and caught Nova and Luke by the legs, taking them both down.

Harry tried to stop them but couldn't figure out how to land again, causing his suit to fly around in different directions.

"Damn it! I'm sorry, guys! I'm coming! This stupid suit isn't working!"

"Forget the others! Get Spider-Man into a Quinjet and take him back to the boss!" one of them grunted.

Two of them marched forward and grabbed Spider-Man off the floor. A third marching up and slamming the buttstock of his rifle into the webslinger's abdomen.

"Ow! Was that really...necessary!?"

"Shut it, webhead! You've caused us enough trouble this evening!"

" **No**!" Tiger cried out, "Let go of him! He did nothing wrong!"

"You shut it, bitch! We don't want anything to do with you!"

"You shall pay for this, I swear it!" Iron Fist defiantly assured them, trying still to shake the netting off his legs.

"Just you wait!" Nova warned, "We're not all here yet…"

The same soldier marched up and slammed his buttstock at Nova's face.

"I said shut it you…"

"Wait, sir. There's aircraft incoming."

"Wakandan?"

"No… it's…"

Suddenly, a R.O.G.U.E. Quinjet uncloaked itself into view directly above them and its rear ramp opened up. The soldiers all looked up and trained their rifles at the jet.

"Who is that?!"

"Just shoot it! It's R.O.G.U.E.! Kill them!"

A cloud of smoke shot out from the rear ramp and quickly floated down to the rooftop, completely covering them all and blinding them in the grayish smoke. A familiar chuckle echoed through the smoking cloud.

"What the hell is this?! Men, turn on thermals!"

They did as their team leader ordered, but it didn't stop from what… or whom… landed directly after the cloud of smoke surrounded them.

"T-There's someone else here, men! Shoot to kill!"

The soldiers nervously scanned around, refraining from shooting each other. But, out of nowhere, **three figures** appeared and vanished almost instantaneously.

"Who are these guys?! Special forces?!"

Nova audibly laughed through the smoke.

"You guys messed with the _wrong_ team of heroes!" he taunted.

Suddenly, the white-masked **Phantom** appeared next to one of them. The soldier didn't have enough time to react before the specter's supercharged bracer rushed electricity to his fingertips and punched the soldier hard enough to send him falling backwards several hundred feet off the rooftop.

"Holy shit! Who was that!?"

Within the smoke, they spotted a white hood sprint zig-zag across them, vanishing and reappearing after each subtle kill. She appeared long enough in front of one of them, revealing herself as the **White Fox** before she slashed her katanas across his chest and kicking him off the rooftop.

"Men! Where are you?!" The team leader nervously shouted, backing away from the other two figures.

No answer.

The **Phantom** and **White Fox** slowly approached him through the smoke. He fired off several rounds at them, but they simply vanished and reappeared in different spots.

"Stay away! We have no quarrel with you!"

Suddenly, he felt his back hit something. It wasn't concrete. It was a person. A very tall person. His heartbeat increased the moment he felt a huge paw-like hand touch his right shoulder.

Nervously, he looked up and observed two bright yellow eyes glare down at him with a wolfish smile dashed across the hooded figure's face.

"Oh, dear God… Please… Please don't!"

 **Wolfe** sunk his claws into his shoulders and threw him off the roof.

 **Firewalker's** smoke form dissipated as he returned to his physical form.

"Woo! That was sick, y'all!"

Phantom and Fox ran towards the downed team and quickly cut the electrical netting off of them now that the soldiers were dispatched and their Quinjets taken down.

"Man, you guys showed up _just_ in time!" Nova happily cheered.

"For sure!" Spidey agreed, "Thanks, Phantom, Specter Haven. Damn. That was close."

He helped Spidey up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't thank us yet, Peter. We still need to find out why these guys are after you."

Harry finally regained control of the suit and softly landed onto the rooftop next to them. He was able to flip up the helmet to reveal his face.

"Man, I really need to read the manual for this thing! I'm sorry, guys! This suit is a hassle to use! I don't know how Stark does it!"

"It's alright, Harry," Peter assured him, "But, what do we do now?"

"We need to get you to safety, pup," Wolfe grunted, "The skies are too dangerous. Where can we lie low?"

"The apartment?" Ava suggested, "It's in the palace, which should be the most secure place in the city right now."

"Agreed," Phantom concurred, "Based off their numbers, they're large enough to mount a sustainable attack. We need to thread carefully. Let's get back into the Quinjet and head over there now before more of them show up."

"Um. Who's flying the Quinjet, by the way?" Luke curiously asked.

The aircraft suddenly descended, hovering itself with its rear ramp open towards them. Inside the cockpit, they recognized the pilot.

"It's me, silly!" Deadpool goofily greeted, "Phantom didn't want me down there because he knows this sexy red suit would've given them all a super boner. We didn't need to make that fight sexier than it already was!"

Phantom sighed.

"You just _had_ to ask, Luke."

They all got in, with Harry flying close behind the Quinjet to search for any followers behind them. Luckily, nobody went in pursuit after them. Agent 22 and his radio contact was cut off from the comm block. So, they hoped to see him once they reached the palace.

Peter was trying to analyze this all in his head. Why was H.Y.D.R.A. here in Wakanda? How did they survive the global invasion? And… who's behind it all?

He needed answers. Why did they want to kill him so badly? You'd think that surviving the war would be more important than settling grudges.

* * *

 _Back at the palace…_

The teams landed the Quinjet on the landing pad and slowly trekked back into the empty palace halls. Things seemed to still be in order, as though nothing had happened out in the city. Black Panther was nowhere to be found and even the servants had made themselves scarce. They retreated back to the apartment.

Wolfe stepped in first, slowly stalking through every corner of the apartment before giving them the go-ahead to proceed. He wanted to make sure they weren't followed or that anybody had infiltrated the apartment. He also ensured that the front door was locked tight after everyone was in.

"So, can we talk about what the _hell_ just happened?!" Sam was the first to blatantly review the events, "Why in the **hell** is **H.Y.D.R.A.** in Wakanda?! Why aren't they Reaper chow by now!?"

They sat around the living room, trying to recollect the attack.

"Well, I fully expected them to survive the war," Phantom expressed as he paced about, "My wonder is _why_ are they after Peter?"

"Where is this Agent 22 guy?" Wolfe grunted.

"I gave him our coordinates," Harry answered, "He should be here soon."

"Wait, guys," Peter spoke up, "Let's quickly review what happened. Harry and I were having dinner at the restaurant. We get word from 22 that there are people in Wakanda looking to kill me, and no sooner than he told us that, H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers show up and blow the entire place up!"

"Hold up just a second," Sam harshly interrupted, "They blew up that fancy restaurant chilling on the side of the building?"

Harry and Peter both nodded.

"What the hell, Pete? We were planning to go to that restaurant next. Now we can't!"

"I agree," Danny lamented, "I heard their seafood menu was the best in all Africa."

"Oh my god, you guys are such losers!" Ava angrily growled, "You guys are more worried about a restaurant than Peter's life?!"

"You _obviously_ didn't see the menu," Sam coolly answered, "Plus, we all _knew_ that Pete would get away."

"It's not like I'm invincible, Sam."

"Yeah but it takes a lot more than some random H.Y.D.R.A. goons to kill you, web-head."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door, and Wolfe stealthily swooped over and eyeballed the peephole.

"Who is it, Wolfe?" Fox inquired.

"It's some slack-jaw in a R.O.G.U.E. suit."

"That's Agent 22," Harry pointed out, "Let him in, please."

Wolfe grunted disapprovingly right before opening the door and pulling the agent in, slamming him against the wall next to the door.

"Who are you!? Who sent you here?! Are you one of _them?!"_ Wolfe angrily barked, sniffing the agent all over and growling at him, "Answer me, cretin!"

"Oh dear lord! P-please don't eat m-m-m-e!"

"That's enough, Wolfe!" Phantom rushed in and pulled his cohort off of the agent.

"He's fishy I tell you!"

"Down, Wolfe!"

"Oh, dear god," 22 coughed, "Thank you for getting him off of m-me! Oh my! Sp-Specter Haven and the rest of the t-t-team is here!"

"No shit!" Wolfe growled.

"Alright, that's enough out of you," Phantom dragged Wolfe away towards the study.

"He's an angry one," 22 observed.

"Yeah, you should see him when he's hungry," Firewalker chuckled, "So, who are you, homie? What's your role in all of this?"

Before he could answer, Deadpool emerged from the kitchen with a bowl full of popcorn. He had lifted his mask up so he could munch on them, but hit a wall of confusion as he watched Phantom drag Wolfe off to the study.

"What happened to _him?_ Did he shit on the carpet or something?"

"Oh, Mr. D-D-Deadp..Deadpoo…" 22 tried to acknowledge him.

"You can just call me DP if that's too much of a mouthful for you, bub," he commented, stuffing his face with popcorn, "Who the hell are _you?"_

"Ah, yes, that's where I was g-going. I'm Agent 22, I'm one of D-D-Director Hill's intelligence agents sent to help mon…monitor this situation with H.Y.D.R.A."

"Is there any way we can contact her?" Luke asked, "We can find out what's _really_ going on and get to the bottom of this quick."

"There's a comm block throughout the entire city," Harry pointed out, "We couldn't get a call out if we tried."

"What about flying over to their tri-carrier?" Fox asked, "It's probably safer over there than over here."

"Well, we know that they have Quinjets in their arsenal. I can use the Iron Patriot suit to help out _some_ , but not a lot. I'm still learning the ropes here."

Phantom returned from the study, having left Wolfe in there.

"Please, don't mind him," he assured 22, "He doesn't have great people skills."

"That's an understatement," Firewalker coughed.

"What are we talking about?"

"We're trying to figure out what to do next," Peter quickly answered, "We're limited on options with the comm block."

"I see."

Phantom eyeballed the agent, who seemed to avoid his gaze.

"Well, luckily for you all I'm a natural tactician. Let me speak with our friend here as well as Mr. Osborn more in-depth about what our options are and we'll all convene in the conference room once we have something to work with going forward. H.Y.D.R.A. is dangerous. I want to proceed with this carefully if we're to catch them before they kill Peter. Understood?"

Everybody nodded.

"Good. In the meantime, relax. Eat something."

With his command in the framework, everybody dispersed to different parts of the apartment while Phantom, Harry, and Agent 22 walked over to the conference table behind the kitchen. Peter watched everybody leave the living room and decided it'd be a good idea to see what everyone thinks about all this.

Sam and Danny were in the kitchen, both looking for some food. Sam opened up the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and Danny popped open a bag of chips.

"Hey guys," Peter greeted.

"Hey webs. You want something? Danny and I thought it'd be a good idea to snack up before we head out again."

"Would you like something, Peter? I can prepare something if you want."

"No, you're good, Danny, thanks. I was just wondering what you guys think about this whole thing."

Sam chuckled.

"I'm just wondering what could you have possibly done to piss H.Y.D.R.A. enough for them to go after you _as the world is ending_."

"I am concerned that they might be working for the Reaper and his forces," Danny feared.

"You think that might be the case? But, why? Why would Reaper want _me_ dead, specifically?"

"Yeah!" Sam concurred, "What makes _you_ so special?"

Danny sighed.

"Sam, he _is_ our team leader, Sam. Do not make this another issue about how big your ego is."

"Hey, I'm just saying!"

As Peter walked over to the study, he glanced over to the conference room. It looked like Phantom was saying a few things to Agent 22 in a commanding voice. 22 had his arms crossed behind his back and listening intently. What a peculiar individual.

Both Ava and Fox were in the study, both talking about what was going on.

"Hey Pete," Ava warmly greeted him, with Fox complimenting with a smile and a nod.

"Hey ladies, what's going on?"

"Ava and I were just talking about how crazy this whole thing is. We were all under the illusion that Wakanda was safe. But, my question is **who** is H.Y.D.R.A.? What's their deal?"

"That's a long story, Fox," he told her, "I guess the best way to describe them is super anti-S.H.I.E.L.D. They've got ties all the way back to the Nazis. They're not good in any way."

"Oh my…"

"Have you predicted any of these events in your visions, Fox?" Ava curiously asked.

She shook her head.

"Lately my visions have been of… more distant events."

She glanced into the connected hallway that led to the conference room. Ava and Peter both noticed this, realizing she was referring to Phantom.

"Is everything okay between you two?" Ava wondered.

"We're fine," she blushed, "There's just a lot we've got to talk about."

"Whatever it is, Ava and I are here for you both."

"You bet," Ava concurred.

"Thanks, both of you. I really appreciate that. At any rate, let's figure out how to stop this mess with H.Y.D.R.A. before focusing on anything else."

After talking with them, he found Luke and Firewalker near the giant television screen in the living room. They were lowering the massive blinds over the huge window panel to cover them from view.

"Hey guys, what are you both up to?"

"Hey Pete," Luke nodded in greeting, "Phantom wanted these blinds down just in case we're being watched."

"Yeah, these windows are too big, homie. I get the luxurious aesthetic vibe, but damn. This whole apartment is a sniper's playground."

"I guess we were too wrapped up with how nice this all was without realizing that it wasn't safe," Peter figured.

"Don't worry about it too much, web-head. We'll find whoever's leading this pack of H.Y.D.R.A. and beat them down before it's too late."

"Thanks, Luke. I'm not really worried about it. With a guy on Reaper as our main course, what side dish could possibly beat the web-slinger, am I right?"

Both Luke and Drake exchanged looks.

"…that was a horrible joke, Peter."

"Yeah, food jokes ain't a thing, bruh."

"I tried," Peter shrugged.

"What that little green guy in Star Wars say? 'Do or do not, there is no try, big dawg.'"

" _Pretty sure_ Yoda never said 'big dawg', Firewalker," Luke corrected him.

"No, I'm pretty sure he did."

"What version did _you_ see?"

"Y'know, the version I could afford from the dude with the bootleg shit on the corner street."

" _Empire Strikes Back_ is from 1980, why do you need a bootleg copy?!"

"Why you judging, Luke?! You want a fist in yo face?!"

"Why are you so violent, Drake?!"

Peter glanced up at the floor above and saw Wolfe leaning on the guardrail, scanning the large glass window on the far wall. He excused himself from the heated argument and walked up the stairs and joined him.

"No snipers, spider. You're clear."

"I wasn't really worried about that, Wolfe."

"Well, you _should be_. Pests like H.Y.D.R.A. aren't to be underestimated."

"You've had your run-ins with them?"

"I'm aware of their agenda, yes."

"I'm glad you're on our side then,"

The phantom hunter subtly chuckled, raising a pair of binoculars and scanning the city street through the gaps in the blinders.

"I don't know _why_ they're after me. I'm worried they might be working for Reaper."

"They might be. I wouldn't put it past them."

"What do you mean?"

Wolfe put the binoculars down and looked over at Peter, his yellow eyes beaming brightly.

"H.Y.D.R.A. doesn't show up in our radar unless there's something at play. They're not strong enough to put up a fight by themselves. They're weak. They're cowards. They're doing someone else's bidding because they don't have the balls to put up a fight. With a guy like Reaper killing everything that moves, you can bet your ass H.Y.D.R.A. saw an opportunity with him, which, is their mistake."

"Their mistake?"

"If we don't gut them first, Reaper eventually will. They're in a lose/lose situation, and they haven't realized it yet."

"I see."

Suddenly, he heard Deadpool singing in one of the rooms along the corridor behind him. Wolfe shook his head at the musical tunes and returned to scanning the horizon.

"Best go check on that fool before he gives away our position," he suggested to Peter.

Sighing, he walked to the room that Sam had claimed as his own. The Merc with a Mouth had discovered the jacuzzi and decided to take a quick bath.

He heard Peter enter and immediately stopped singing.

"Who's there!? Peeping toms are _not_ welcome!"

"It's just _me_ , Deadpool."

"Ohhh! Well come on in! There's plenty of room in here for ya!"

He slowly slid open the door into the jacuzzi room. Deadpool sat right in the middle with only his mask on while the rest of his naked, scarred body sat on the far side of it, with only the rumbling bubbles covering up his private parts.

"Well, _hello_ , Spooder-Man! What brings you to… to my lair…"

Peter rolled his eyes.

"Why _are_ you here, Deadpool?"

"Hmm… I don't really know. The writers in this story have changed hands with my role so many times, I've given up trying to figure it out."

"Wait, what?"

"Ugh, I don't know, web-head! I'm just here because I don't want to see you get cut up, there! Is that what you wanted to hear?!"

"Not really, but… thanks?"

"Good!"

A moment of awkward silence followed.

"Kind of weird that you decided to help us out. The last time we actually sat down and talked was when you were robbing that bank and that guy Cable showed up out of nowhere and picked you up."

" _Yeeeaaaahhh_ … what an asshole thing to do, right?" Deadpool retorted.

"You mean rob a bank?"

"No! That son-of-a-bitch Cable kidnapping me to go 'save the future' **AGAIN**! You know how **boring** saving the future was the **first** ten thousand times!?"

"Then that means you might know why H.Y.D.R.A. is after me?"

The Merc's eyes squinted.

"Maybe. But, I **can't** , capital 'C': **CAN'T** tell you _why_ , web-head!"

"Why?" he wondered aloud, "What's so important about me? Why are they after me?"

Deadpool shook his head.

"Sorry, web-head, can't tell ya, sorry."

"It's fine. If it's _that_ bad, I guess I can trust your judgment," he concluded.

"All you gotta know is that they need to be **unalived** , like… like **quick**."

"I see. Now, _why_ are you suddenly the good guy? Didn't you help out Taskmaster in the Manhattan Incident? Didn't you kidnap Fury and keep him hostage for years?"

Deadpool simply shrugged.

"Well, first, I'm never really the 'good guy'. I do _what I want **when** I want_. There's no money in getting brutally exterminated by Reaper and his crazy butt, so here I am helping _you_ guys save the day so I can go back to making money. Maybe I can buy a chimichanga factory after all this is over!"

Suddenly, the intercom rang.

"Everyone please meet up in the conference room," Phantom's voice echoed, "We're ready to proceed to our next plan."

"Ah, shit," Deadpool sighed, standing up and exposing himself.

"Gah!" Peter exclaimed as he covered his eyes.

"Time to go lay down the law on these bad guys," The Merc proudly stated with his hands at his hips.

* * *

 _Meanwhile… in the marketplace…_

Wakandan Royal Talon fighters hovered overhead as the entire city block was placed on lockdown. The king's royal guard combed through the sealed off marketplace and picked up the dead bodies of the H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers as the Talon fighters patrolled with spotlights overhead, using their speakers to keep the populace away from the scene.

 **Black Panther** and **Okoye** walked through the scene, observing as their people were investigating the scene of the attack and questioning witnesses.

"Has my sister decoded the source of this communications block, Okoye?"

"Not yet, my king. It will take some time before she finds out. Until then, we are limited on our communicative options."

"What about Spider-Man and his team? Where have they gone?"

"We still do not have positive location on their whereabouts. The witnesses say that they left with a team of 'ghost-like' beings who quickly slaughtered these soldiers in their defense."

"Specter Haven," Black Panther deciphered the identify of the other team, "I want our people down on the ground at the coalition and refugee camps. I want every soldier and man, woman, and child positively ID'd. Anyone who isn't supposed to be here, bring them to me directly."

T'Challa turned on his heel and ordered one of his Royal Talon jets to descend for pick up.

"Where are you going, my king?"

"I am going to go summon the Border Tribe to ensure we keep H.Y.D.R.A. contained."

* * *

 _Back at the apartment…_

Everyone gathered around the conference table, waiting for a cross-armed Phantom to address them. Agent 22 stood next to him nervously while Harry leaned against the wall behind them, still fully suited in the Iron Patriot.

"So, what's up, Phantom?" Peter began, "What did you guys find out?"

The specter clicked on the small terminal at the head of the conference table to show a realistic projection of a tall, dark bearded Caucasian man. He had a red and black cloak and was finely dressed in a black and red contemporary luxury suit. At his right hand was a cane with a black sphere at its tip.

"Whoa, who's that guy?" Sam curiously asked, "I feel like we've met him before."

"Unlikely," Phantom corrected, " **This** is **Count Luchino Nefaria** , an Italian aristocrat and former head of the Maggia crime syndicate. He gave the X-Men and Black Panther a run of trouble several years ago. He was granted Wakandan citizenship after 'turning a new leaf' and becoming a casino boss, here in the heart of Birnin Zana."

"What's he got to do with our H.Y.D.R.A. problem?" Ava skeptically asked.

"Count Nefaria is the only man on-record within the city who has a historical connection to H.Y.D.R.A. We need to find him and discover what he knows about their presence in the city. His casino is a stone-throw's length away."

The projection shifted to a huge building that flashed vibrantly with the words _**The Dream Master's Palace**_. It had several posters on the side of the building that had images of dancers, playing cards, and poker chips.

"Alright," Wolfe grunted, "So, we bring this bastard here, and then what?"

"Let _me_ take care of the interrogation," Phantom confidently answered, "I have a hunch that he knows who's _really_ behind the attack. But, we cannot attract attention going _into_ the casino. We can send three into the facility. One of them has to be Agent 22. He's the only one with the presiding authority to get us access into the building, but we'll need two more."

"I'll go," Peter spoke up.

"You sure, webhead?" Luke asked, unconvinced, "H.Y.D.R.A. might be waiting for you there."

He was right, but this was about _him_. H.Y.D.R.A. wanted _his_ skin. This had to be something he did on his own.

"I'm sure. I'll find Count Nefaria and force him to come with me so that we can get to the bottom of this."

"If you're sure, Peter, then I don't object," Phantom calmly observed, "But, you _need_ to bring someone with you that can watch your back."

"Pfft, I've got that down!" Deadpool blurted out, "Come on, webs! You _know_ I've got this! Plus, I'm a celebrity in Wakanda! All the attention will be on me while you do your thing!"

"I don't think it'll be the _right_ attention," Sam noted, "No. Peter, _I_ can watch your back. Pick me, man."

"If he needs someone to make sure he doesn't get shot up, then it'd _have_ to be _me_ ," Luke quickly brought up, "I'm the bulletproof one here!"

"Yes, but you are slow, my friend," Danny calmly added, which looked like it greatly offended Luke, "Peter, **I** will be able to stop even the fastest agent."

"You guys are arguing over the wrong things!" Ava harshly pointed out, "Peter, just pick whoever you feel the most comfortable watching your back in there!"

"I'll add that this is a black-tie only casino. You'll both need to be dressed up for the occasion. That means you too, Agent 22," Phantom briefed.

Peter took a moment to look through his teammates.

He _did_ think about bringing Deadpool, but that would bring attention he really didn't need. And, it only brought up the increased chance of things getting messy quick.

Sam was a popular choice, but he and Peter don't see eye to eye a lot on strategy when it comes to duo missions. He had all those missions where they both worked together to serve as experience for that point.

He then thought of Luke, who was a more logical choice. But, Danny had a point. He was big and heavy and would only be helpful if they needed to go against a wall of bullets and need some heavy fighting expertise. He needed someone a little more discrete.

Danny, maybe? Perhaps, but that places him on par with Ava, who is significantly more skilled in hand-to-hand and infiltration than Danny.

He then made his choice.

"I'm going to bring Ava."

The other guys subtly sighed.

" **Of course,** he was going to pick Ava!" Sam complained.

"Yeah! They're sleeping together!" Deadpool pointed out, "That's not fair! Phantom, do something!"

"Shut it, guys! Peter made his choice. Relax!" Ava shouted.

"Calm down, everyone," Phantom loudly spoke up. "Alright, we'll go ahead and proceed as planned. There _should_ be dress attire in your rooms upstairs. Wolfe, go prepare the Quinjet for flight. Fox and I will get our short-range communications equipment ready. 22, you should go get dressed as well.

They were dismissed and went to work. While they weren't able to accompany in the mission, Luke, Danny, Sam, Firewalker, Harry, and Deadpool would chill at the apartment to monitor their progress through the short-range communicator on-board the Quinjet. As well, they'd keep an eye out for Black Panther, should he return to the palace.

Ava and Peter both went upstairs into their different rooms.

He simply picked out a different variant of the suit he had on when he went to visit Harry not too long ago. But, he had to make it more formal. He buttoned a black dress shirt underneath the suit and tightened a black tie overtop. After fastening a pair of black oxfords on his feet, he walked over to Ava's room.

"Ava, can I come in?" he knocked.

"Yeah, the door's open."

He walked in to seeing Ava in a white maxi dress that had a slit split on the right, exposing her left leg all the way up to her thigh. The Jade Tiger Amulet was wrapped around her neck, closely, like a choker. She had just finished fastening a pair of black high-heel stilettos on her feet when Peter had walked in.

The sight of her had nearly made his jaw drop.

She stood back up and looked him up and down.

"Whoa, you look better than you did when you went to go see Harry!"

He did the same, eyeing her up and down, lost as he gazed at her beauty.

"You look… just…"

She couldn't help but blush.

"I don't think I've ever worn anything like this," she softly told him, "I… I wore it for you."

"You didn't have to, Ava."

"I wanted to, Peter."

"Well, you look amazing, just… so beautiful."

"Thank you," she giggled, "Better than the dress I wore when we went on our first 'date'?"

"Much better," he assured her.

He approached her and placed her hands at her waist. Her heels had made her slightly taller than him, but he didn't mind. She seemed to slightly shift her weight between her feet.

"Can you walk in those?" he asked, glancing down.

"I hope so. I mean, I have before, but… it's been years since I've worn heels. I think I'll be fine."

They continued to softly kiss, Peter moving from her lips down to her neck. She closed her eyes as he did so, leaning him closer and closer to the bed.

Suddenly, before they could do anything else, Peter's communicator rang.

It was Phantom.

"We're ready when you are, Peter. 22 is here already."

"Coming," he called back.

"Looks like it's time for the show," Ava sighed.

"Yep. Ready to be my Bond girl?

"Only if you'll be my James Bond."

He smiled, guiding her out of her room and back to the apartment.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Hey guys. So, as you can see, we decided to split up this freakishly long chapter into multiple parts. It might end up being 3, but I didn't feel like having you guys read tens of thousands of words in one sitting. We kind of underestimated how long it would be. :/ But, here's the first part, we hope you guys liked what you read! Tell us about it! Was it a good start? Does it need some work? Let us know.

Also, I received some amazing news over the weekend. It looks like I'm going to be a father soon. It's such an amazing time for me, so I just wanted to share this information with you all. :) It'll be my first child.

Thanks again, for all the love and support! You guys really help me push this through. If you're waiting on a PM from me, I will get back to you ASAP! Sorry for the delay!

 ** _As always, feedback is appreciated!_**

Warm regards, always,

 ** _Aferus_**


	42. Wakandan Rendezvous, Part II

_**Wakandan Rendezvous**_

 _ **Part Two**_

* * *

 _Back at the apartment…_

Luke, Sam, Danny, Harry, Deadpool, and Drake all looked up at the nicely dressed pair as they descended down the stairs. Ava had wrapped her left arm around Peter's right and they both looked like teens ready to go out to prom or to the nightclub.

"Damn, look at y'all! Y'all be lookin' _fresh!"_ Firewalker happily expressed.

"Definitely," Luke agreed, smiling, "You guys look great. You sure you both will be good without us?"

"I think we'll be fine," Peter kindly assured him, "Besides, if things go south, we know you guys aren't far away."

Sam eyed Ava up and down.

"You _sure_ you'll be able to fight in those heels, Ava?" he jokingly teased.

She gritted her teeth and scowled at him.

" **Yes** , I'm sure. Keep this up, Alexander. Just you wait until we get into our training sessions after this."

He nervously laughed.

"No, but seriously, you guys look great. Wish I could've gone."

"Maybe next time, Sam," Peter assured him in an attempt to lift his spirits up.

"I'll hold you to that."

"Have you figured out how to work that suit yet, Harry?" Ava curiously wondered, watching as Harry tried to fiddle with a miniature computer on his left gauntlet.

"Eh, not exactly," he sighed, "I should've asked Stark for a manual by now but looks like I'll be learning on the fly. I still can't even get out of this suit."

"I'm waiting for you to find out while you're in the middle of flight," Deadpool jokingly expressed.

" _Yeaaaaaah_ , let's hope I don't find out then."

"Well, we will not take much more of your time," Danny calmly expressed, "Best of luck, guys. Do not blow your cover. We shall be watching from the conference room."

"Thanks, guys. I'm sure this will be a quick pick-up anyway. I doubt this count guy will give us much trouble," Peter confidently assured them.

"Let us hope not."

They left the apartment and walked through the empty palace halls towards the landing pad on the other side of the level. The Quinjet engines were already roaring to life as they approached, with Phantom and Fox waiting for them on the rear ramp.

Agent 22 was already inside too, lazily dressed in dusty black suit, white shirt, and black bow-tie. He nervously smiled and waved at Ava and Peter as they approached them.

Once aboard, Wolfe steered the aircraft down, between the buildings, to stay as low as he possibly could to avoid being detected via radar by H.Y.D.R.A. The bright, neon-blue lights emanating from the casino building came into view pretty quickly in the street below, giving Phantom little time to brief them.

"Alright, we'll drop you two off at the rear alleyway behind the casino. Make your way to the front and 22 will use his R.O.G.U.E. badge to gain access."

"Why do we need to show R.O.G.U.E. credentials?" Ava skeptically wondered, "Wouldn't that attract attention?"

"C-Count N-N-Nefaria extended V.I.P. a-a-access to R.O.G.U.E. as a c-courtesy for their help in saving the w-world."

"That's awfully convenient," Peter skeptically murmured.

Phantom ignored the comment and continued.

"Once inside, you'll make your way across the casino floor and find the count's office. Keep in mind, we don't want his security personnel to become aware of our presence. That'll complicate things, not to mention draw out a confrontation that we don't need, especially if Nefaria decides to escape."

"Where could he possibly go? It's not like he can leave Wakanda," Ava pointed out.

"We have a theory on that," Fox calmly answered, "H.Y.D.R.A. might be working with the RSF."

Peter's eyes widened.

"You guys really think so?"

Phantom glanced over at Fox and subtly shook his head while seemingly deep in thought over what she had brought up.

"It's just a theory, Peter. I don't want to draw a conclusion based off suspicion. We'll find out more once we have Nefaria," he clarified.

"I see."

"We'll wait for you three, and Nefaria, in the same location we drop you off at. Convince him that it's important for him to come with. If he's truly aligned with H.Y.D.R.A., then expect a little resistance. We'll provide assistance if necessary but try to keep this as civil as possible."

"Good luck, guys," Fox kindly added.

Peter and Ava exchanged looks one more time, not knowing what to expect once they got inside. Taking a moment to gear-check, he made sure he had his web-shooters and suit at the ready beneath the dress suit. Lastly, Phantom gave them the short-range frequency where they could communicate with while they were inside with small earpieces to use.

The Quinjet began its quick descent into the alleyway behind the casino, opening its rear ramp and allowing them to disembark.

Peter took one last look back up and saw Phantom give him the thumbs up as a good-luck gesture before it rapidly ascended and cloaked itself out of view.

He took a deep breath and glanced over to Ava and Agent 22.

"Alright, 22, by your lead."

"V-Very well, Peter. On our way now."

Ava reached and clasped her left hand with Peter's right as they began their walk out of the alleyway and towards the front strip, turning the corner, and walking past a long line of Wakandan locals who were waiting to get inside.

The massive building had bright blue and white neon lights decorating its exterior. It looked tribal in design, but the décor style was very Vegas-like. As they reached the entrance, the casino's name was shining bright above the front doors.

 _ **The Dream Master's Palace**_

"Alright, l-let me take care of this," 22, somewhat confidently, told them before approaching a tall and bulky Wakandan security guard watching the line.

They both watched him nervously take out his credentials to the intimidating guard, who examined it very closely. 22 pointed back at them and caused the guard to glance in their direction, subtly eyeing Ava up and down.

Seeing this, Peter pulled her closer to him.

"Jealous much, Pete?" she softly asked.

"Just making sure they know who you're with."

"Cute."

Finally, the guard accepted the credentials and gestured that they can proceed into the casino. 22 turned and waved at them to follow him. As they walked past the guard, Peter could feel him eyeballing Ava's rear as she walked by. Two other guards opened the front glass doors for them, revealing a marvelous atrium inside.

The ambient smells of alcohol and tobacco quickly filled their lungs as they walked past the nicely-dressed crowds and into the center of the atrium. There was a giant golden statue of **Count Nefaria** free-standing at the center, making a gesture that seemed to invite the viewer into the gaming halls of his vast casino.

Sounds of slot machines rolling and people talking were constant. Some of them laughing, others yelling at the gambling machines, and a lot of people simply having conversation amongst themselves and having a good time.

Behind the statue were two long halls separated by a marble floored walkway. Each one was for a different purpose. The slot machines were on the left while the Blackjack and Poker tables were sprawled across in different sections on the right. In the far-back were private tables for high-stake rollers.

"Are you guys inside?" Phantom's voice came across the earpiece.

"We're in," Peter subtly answered.

"Go ahead and start making your way towards the back of the casino. There is a V.I.P. area beyond the gaming halls where Count Nefaria will undoubtedly be."

"On it," Ava acknowledged.

The three of them walked through the walkway, keeping their eyes straight to avoid any wandering looks from the patrons on both sides of the gaming halls. Ava stopped a few times to balance herself on her heels, but walked on without a hitch.

"Should've gotten shorter heels," she sighed, "These are _way_ too high."

"I don't mind them," Peter subtly jested.

"I _know_ you don't, weirdo. My feet are going to be dead by the time this is over."

Finally, they reached the V.I.P. area, where Agent 22 had to flash his credentials again to get through into a private area. It was a fairly large, school-gym sized room with private booths lining the walls with different individuals sitting inside. In the middle was a bar where servers were preparing cocktail drinks for the important patrons. On the far wall was a high balcony where, presumably, Count Nefaria would stand on to address his V.I.P. guests.

There was a considerable amount of people there, all in their suits and dresses, some grouped up in conversations. Others were standing about, waiting for something to happen.

"What now, Phantom?" Peter quietly asked.

"Mingle. It doesn't seem like Nefaria is here yet. But, it looks like he's to address his guests soon. Keep an eye on the guards standing at the exits. If they think you're acting too suspicious, they'll take action. Talk to the guests. See if there's anyone we might know."

"This should be interesting," Ava observed.

"I'm n-n-not good at m-mingling!" 22 panicked, "I-I'm… I'm going to go g-get a drink."

They both watched him nervously walk over to the bar and ask for a drink from the bartender.

"What a strange guy," Peter quietly told Ava, who nodded in agreement.

As they scanned the dim-lit area, they spotted a few interesting individuals who they've come across several times… and not in a positive way.

"Peter… is that **Wilson Fisk**?"

He glanced over and nearly had a cow when he saw the **Kingpin** sitting next to a woman inside one of the private booths. There were two suited bodyguards standing on both sides of the booth, obviously there to protect him.

"What the hell? He escaped?"

"Shit. He's not the only one either, Pete. Look, it's Adrian Toomes. That bald guy at the bar."

Standing next to 22 was the bald, beak-nosed man who Peter knew exclusively as **The Vulture**. Next to _him_ was a short-haired, bearded man who he also identified as Mac Gargan, **Scorpion**.

"Phantom. We have a major problem. 3 of my worst villains are here. Why are they here?!"

"What? That can't be possible. They… they must've survived the invasion somehow. Nefaria perhaps helped them?"

Ava tugged his arm to gesture over to an individual leaning up against the wall. He had dark purple armor equipped with a signature bug-like helmet on his head. He stood cross-armed, scanning the room.

"Oh no, not the **Beetle**!"

"This just gets better and better, doesn't it?" she sighed, "Peter, we're outnumbered here!"

"Just calm down, Ava, it's fine. They don't know who we are. Just chill."

"Right. Just mingle."

"Want to split up?" he suggested, "I'll go see what these guys are saying,"

"Good idea, I'll go get something at the bar."

"Wait, to drink?"

"No, of course not. Maybe some water."

"Now _that's_ definitely suspicious," he jokingly pointed out.

"Whatever," she smirked, "Just don't get caught."

"Will do."

He walked over nearby to where the Kingpin was and pretended to view a television report that was playing overhead on the large television parallel to the wall where his booth was. He subtly kept his ear open to hear what he was saying.

"So, when will he appear?" the woman there calmly asked.

"Soon, I hope," Kingpin grunted, "I'm getting tired of waiting. If this fool didn't get us out of Manhattan in time, then I wouldn't have wasted my time."

"Well, he did. So, all I ask is _you_ stay low long enough for us all to get out of this alive. The world won't be the same after this war is over, and _you_ need to be strong enough to lead it."

He reached out his hand and clasped the woman's hands.

"I know, Vanessa. I know."

They didn't talk much after that, prompting Peter to walk away. He glanced over at the bar and saw Ava look over at him while holding up a glass of a clear drink.

"God, I hope that's water and not Vodka," he murmured to himself.

He walked over to where the Beetle was and was observing a few of the patrons play on the slot machines that were against the wall near him. One of them got up from the far right machine, a few feet from the Beetle, and so he approached the seat and sat down, pretending to play while keeping his peripheral on Beetle.

One of the guards suddenly walked up to the former villain.

"He is to address the V.I.P. guests soon. Make sure you keep your eyes out for anyone suspicious."

"Just make sure we get paid," Beetle simply grunted.

The guard nodded and walked away. After fidgeting with the slot machine for a while, Peter got up and walked away from him. He could feel Beetle's eyes trained on him as he did so.

"Looks like the count should be out soon," he murmured into the chat.

"Same," Ava acknowledged, "Toomes and Gargan were discussing something about 'finally settling a score', or something like that."

"Well, half the villains in my rogues' gallery is here. I **hope** they're not talking about **me**."

"Be careful, Peter," Phantom advised, "Just stay low."

While glancing over at Ava, he accidentally ran into somebody. The red-suited man was wearing a yellow-padded suit underneath his dress attire, with only his eyes visible beneath his red and yellow patterned mask. On his forearms were two visibly large gauntlets pulsating with electrical energy.

"Watch it, kid!" he barked.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to run into you, my bad!"

"Don't do it again!"

He slowly backed off, allowing the patron to return to his conversation and ignore Peter completely.

"Shit, **Shocker's** here too."

"How in the world did these guys get away from the invasion?" Ava pondered through the earpiece.

" _Somebody_ helped them."

"It looks like they're preparing some sort of presentation, Pete. Meet back up with me."

"On it. Wait… where did 22 go?"

They both glanced at the other side of the bar and couldn't find Agent 22 anywhere. It was almost like he just got up and disappeared.

"Great. Phantom, we lost 22."

"Don't worry, we're still reading him as being there. Maybe he did his own reconnaissance," Phantom suggested, "I'll see if I can fix his earpiece remotely, just make sure you see that speech. After he gives it, follow him to his office and capture him."

"On it," Ava acknowledged.

* * *

 _At Mount Bashenga…_

Black Panther finished his talks with the other tribal leaders and descended into the depths of Mount Bashenga, where **Shuri's Lab** was located. Once inside, he marched right into her lab to see if she had discovered the source of the communications block that had spread throughout the city.

His sister stood in front of a huge monitor with smaller monitors surrounding her. She typed away at an ergonomic keyboard in front of her, revealing that she was trying to decipher some sort of intense code on the huge screen.

"Please tell me you have something, sister."

She shook her head, keeping her eyes glued to the monitor.

"This is a tricky code, brother. It is like it evolves as I solve it. When one puzzle is solved, it transforms itself to another form."

"How will this help you solve the source of the communications block?"

She promptly stopped and turned to look at him with a confused expression.

"Communications block? No, brother, this is a virus I am testing that I will hand over to R.O.G.U.E. so that they can use it against the Reaper Sentinels."

"Oh. Well, I thought I had asked Okoye to request you to fix this issue that has plagued the entire city. We cannot communicate with one another through long-range devices."

"Oh, _that_ ," she remembered.

She pointed over at a computer on the other side of her lab. It seemed to be connected wirelessly to a large dish at the summit of the mountain, based off the images on the computer.

"That computer is decoding the source of the communications block. I left it on autorun because I'm not going to wait around for several hours staring at a loading bar."

"How much longer then, Shuri?"

She glanced over at the computer.

"Maybe four more hours. It's a complex signal, brother. We may be technologically advanced, but this is being emitted from something beyond our knowledge. I'd like to see the machine before we destroy it."

"You find a way to contact me the moment you discover its location, Shuri."

Without another word, T'Challa marched off back to his Royal Talon aircraft to continue his search for H.Y.D.R.A.

* * *

 _Back at the casino…_

Finally, the lights dimmed down and a spotlight cast itself upon the balcony that overlooked the V.I.P. area. Ava and Peter took a step back, trying their best to find Agent 22 in the crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen. They tried looking inside the booths they walked by, but nothing. The man had just vanished.

"We still can't find him and it looks like the count is about to speak," Peter notified Phantom.

Silence and slight garbled noises followed.

"Phantom? Hey? Ava, see if you can talk to him."

She tapped her earpiece, but shook her head.

"Crap. This isn't good."

Suddenly, the most dangerous men in the room huddled close to get a good view of the balcony. Kingpin, Shocker, Beetle, Vulture, and Scorpion stuck together in their fancy attire, murmuring amongst each other. Peter couldn't get close enough to hear, but sure enough, their allegiances with each other was revealed.

A dark figure then emerged onto the balcony. **Count Nefaria**.

He was as he was depicted in the hologram back in the apartment. He was a towering figure, with a hair style mirroring that of Dracula's, except he seemed much more refined, of a higher noble status. He smiled as the V.I.P. section clapped in greeting for his honor and waved at them, revealing his finely-made black and red suit beneath his cloak.

"Welcome, my friends! Thank you for joining me tonight here at my casino in Birnin Zana! I understand that recent events around the globe has forced us into refuge here in beautiful Wakanda. Our prayers go out to everyone affected by this disastrous invasion. But, I am overjoyed that you all join me here today.

"Ah! I see my cohorts from Manhattan have found their way here. This is splendid news! You are here, after many, many years of being misjudged by the constrictions of American law, finally at the precipice of your victory, your final blow, against the one who has caused you such anguish time and time again throughout your careers."

"I think he's talking about _you_ , Peter," Ava whispered.

She was right. It wasn't a coincidence. Five of his enemies had survived the invasion and were here now, of all places, and with H.Y.D.R.A. on his tail, he was almost a hundred percent certain that they were here to "settle the score" and finish him off.

"I am pleased," Nefaria continued, "…that my efforts to see you all here have paid off. For the rest of my V.I.P.s, please. Enjoy your drinks. Enjoy the food. And play as many games as you'd like. I've already advanced a sum to your pockets as starting cash. Enjoy yourselves! You've earned it! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have pressing matters in my office. Have a wonderful evening!"

With those concluding marks, Ava and Peter knew they had to move to catch him in his office.

"What about 22?" she wondered aloud as he gently guided her through the crowd of V.I.P. guests.

"We'll have to worry about him later. Maybe he got drunk? I don't know. We've got a job to do, I'm not going to hang back for him."

They exited the V.I.P. room. Before fully doing so, Peter took one last glance at the five enemies he once went toe-to-toe with. He'd been so wrapped up with the Reaper that he forgot he had his own share of enemies who held deeper resentment for him than Reaper himself did. Now with them here, he was certain they wanted him dead before he had a chance at helping save this planet and universe.

"Let's go," he urged Ava.

As guards switched posts, they were able to sneak past them and into the upper office levels of the casino. Despite losing contact with Phantom and the team, they were still sticking to the plan and were going to extract Nefaria as quickly and quietly as possible.

They reached a corridor with windows looking out into the casino floor. At the end was Nefaria's office, guarded by one lowly security guard. There were cameras scanning the spaces in-between the corridor that were connected to a power box nearest to the staircase on their end of the corridor.

"How convenient," Peter quietly expressed.

He quickly devised a plan to pull the security guard away and disable the cameras at the same time. He ran through it with Ava, who acknowledged the plan and executed it.

She lazily walked out into view of the security guard.

"Hey there, stranger!" she drunkenly greeted, "How are _you_ doing?"

"Madam, you are not supposed to be up here," he warned her, "Please, return downstairs at once."

"I just wanted to see Mister Nefaria. He's sooooo good looking."

"Madam, he is not seeing any guests at this time. Please leave."

While Ava was playing coy with the security guard, he opened the power box and began routing the power off the security cameras. With any luck, whoever was monitoring that corridor wouldn't notice right away and give them ample time to get to the count.

"Why don't you come and _make me!"_ she started to beckon the guard.

Sighing, the guard began to approach her, withdrawing a prod or bat of some sort in the process.

"I'm _not_ going to ask again, madam. I will escort you out of here myself if I have to."

Peter finished turning the cameras off, giving Ava the thumbs up.

Just as the guard reached her, she dropped the façade and roundhouse kicked him across the face, knocking him out cold onto the ground.

"Good job," he told her.

"Yeah, let's just hurry up so I can take these heels off!"

They both rushed over to the door. Peter tried to softly turn the doorknob, but it was locked. Yet, they heard voices inside. Both pressed their ears against the door to try and listen.

"Now wait just a minute!" Nefaria's voice boomed, "I made the trouble of bringing them here. I have every right to be included in this plan!"

"You were a means to an end, Nefaria," a deep and mysterious voice spoke on the other end, "I can't afford to leave any loose ends here in Wakanda once we settle our score with the spider and bring him to our confidant."

"W-What? This… this is unfair. My friend, you and I have worked together for _decades_ against those troublesome heroes. I've spent _years_ cleaning my image so that I can be of use to your cause now. And _this_ is how I am repaid for my servitude?"

The other voice simply chuckled.

"The Spider and his alluring accomplice, the Tiger, are both here, in your casino tonight. They're probably still in the V.I.P. room, looking for their 'agent'. I will return there now and rally up the other five and expose him. We'll drag him back to our hideout beneath the mountain and repay him in kindness for all he's done to us."

"T-They're here?" Nefaria nervously asked, "Why did you not tell me?"

A brief pause followed.

"…because you're no longer part of our plan."

Suddenly, a gunshot was loudly heard, followed by the opening of a window and random things shuffling from inside the room. Without a moment to hesitate, Ava and Peter inched back to gain some momentum and broke through the door with their combined strength. They fell forward into the scene of a murder.

Count Nefaria sat back in his chair with a blank expression. The bullet had dug clean through his forehead, with blood beginning to drip down his face. The pistol used to shoot him was on the floor, in front of his desk.

"Damn. W-Where's the shooter?!" Peter loudly questioned.

He ran over to the window and looked outside. It would appear that somebody jumped down to the alleyway outside and possibly ran off into the street.

"Shit," Ava sighed, "We're too late."

"Wait, do you hear that?"

They started hearing muffled noises inside the closet next to his desk. They rushed over and opened it to find **Agent 22** with his mouth gagged and his arms loosely tied behind his back. Peter removed the gag and undid his poor-excuse of a tie-up.

"Jeez, 22! Are you okay, man?!"

They both helped him up, giving him a moment to cough and clear his throat.

"Y-Yes! I am f-f-f-fine! Those bastards got me when I w-wasn't looking and p-p-pulled me up here! T-They thought I was some sort of spy for R.O.G.U.E. or s-something!"

"Did you happen to see who was in here with Nefaria when they shot him?!"

"N-No. They had stuffed me in here to d-d-d-deal with l-later! I have n-no idea who was in here with him!"

He glanced over and saw Nefaria's dead body.

"O-Oh my! T-They killed him! That madman! W-W-Why haven't we gone after him?!"

"He's long gone now, man," Peter lamented, "But, we've got a clue."

"A c-c-clue?" 22 skeptically asked.

"Mhm. We now know that their hideout is **beneath** the mountain. If my report on Wakanda in high school serves as a valuable memory, then the only mountain of note near Birnin Zana is **Mount Bashenga** , where the giant Black Panther statue stands watch over the city."

"We need to bring this information to the others, _fast,"_ Ava urged.

"For sure, let's just…"

Out of nowhere, a pair of security guards got to the office and withdrew their bats.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here?! What's… what's happened to Count Nefaria?!"

"Shit. We're caught," Peter hesitated.

"Stay right where you are!" one of them warned, "We are going to…"

They were both suddenly electrocuted, passing out unconscious as their bodies fell face-forward onto the floor. Behind the door, **Phantom** emerged, appearing into view from his invisible form.

"Phantom!" Peter exclaimed, "…you know we had them, right? We were totally going to take them down."

"You **hesitated** _,_ Peter," Ava reminded him.

"Yeah, well… it was a distraction."

"I see," Phantom observed, "Well, as soon as we lost contact with you, I moved forward and snuck into the casino to find you all."

He glanced over at Nefaria's body.

"May I ask what happened and _why_ Nefaria is dead?"

"Not much time to explain, man. I can tell you guys what happened back at the apartment! We just need to go _now!"_ Peter urged him.

"Y-Y-Yes! We need to leave before the rest of his security s-shows up!" 22 nervously added.

"Alright," Phantom sighed, "Follow me. There's a ventilation shaft that I used to get down here from the rooftop."

Without another word, the three of them followed the specter through the corridor and into a nearby vent halfway down the stairwell that led into the main gaming halls. They climbed up until they reached the exterior vent on the rooftop, where Fox and Wolfe were waiting with them on-board the Quinjet.

Just as they left, unbeknownst to them, casino security found their dead boss and downed men and quickly alerted the rest of the building. Somebody alerted law enforcement officials outside, and soon enough they were able to seal off the casino while they investigated the murder.

The five villains: Kingpin, Shocker, Beetle, Vulture, and Scorpion, disappeared out of sight before authorities could question everyone inside.

* * *

 _Back at the apartment…_

The others were anxiously waiting for their return when they finally walked through the front door of the apartment. They got up from their seats in the living room and walked over.

"Whoa, what happened, guys?!" Sam impatiently asked, "Our feed on this side cut off halfway through the mission."

"That unsettled us," Danny nervously added.

"Well? Tell us what happened, Pete," Harry calmly urged, "Where's Nefaria?"

Phantom glanced over at Peter, waiting for him to answer his teammates. Ava and Agent 22 looked over at him as well, waiting for him to answer them. Quickly, he ran through the events in his head and who all was at the casino besides Nefaria.

"Well, guys," he began, "Things just got a whole lot more complicated."

"What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"I mean that we've found out **five** of my, _our_ enemies from New York, survived the invasion, and are here in Wakanda, looking to settle the score with _me_. They were at the casino."

"Hold up!" Firewalker interrupted, "Which five dudes, web-head?"

"Green Goblin? Doc Ock?" Sam listed off the names off the top of his head.

"Actually, it's the **Kingpin** , **Beetle** , **Shocker** , **Vulture** , and **Scorpion**. They were apparently all brought here by Count Nefaria and a mystery person who murdered the count and escaped before we could get to him."

" _ **Holy shit**_ , webs! W-Well, what are we going to do now? We're going to go after them, right? I mean, that's like a new **Sinister Six** , isn't it?!"

"Calm down, Sam. Yeah, we overheard the location of their hideout. I say we attack them while they least expect it. They probably have their soldiers scouring the city for me right now, but if we get the jump on them, we can stop them before they could react."

"I _second_ that idea," Ava enthusiastically agreed, "The sooner we catch them off guard, the better off we'll all be."

"Wait a minute," Phantom quickly interjected, "Let's not all rush into this without a plan. That's how people run blindly into traps. Everyone get your gear ready. Like before, I'll call everyone into the conference room once Agent 22 and I have a plan of attack."

With his words being the bottom line, the group dispersed to go get ready. Phantom escorted Agent 22 back towards the conference room while Ava and Peter went upstairs to ready their gear. Everyone else had already been prepared with their suits, so they were just waiting around until Phantom gave the word.

Once in his room, Peter switched out of his suit and kept his vibranium Spider-Man suit on. He double-checked his web-shooters for canisters and ensured he had his devices ready on his belt. He made sure to keep checking his web fluids after what happened to him earlier at the restaurant. He didn't want a repeat of that happening. He calibrated the targeting sensors in his mask's optical lenses before removing it and walking out into the corridor.

Ava had switched over into her White Tiger suit already and was walking down the corridor when he had walked out.

"Hey," she softly greeted, "You okay?"

"Yeah, why? Are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine now that I'm out of those horrible heels. I'm just worried about _you_."

"How come?"

"I mean, I _know_ we'll stop them and all, but it's not enough that we have to worry about Reaper, now we've got another Sinister Six to worry about going after you."

"Just another regular day as Spider-Man," he humored her, shrugging, "I'm fine, Ava. We'll stop them like we did before."

"I know. Nothing can happen to you, alright? I'm not losing you a second time."

"You won't. I've told you this before, Ava."

She sighed.

"When will this all end, Peter?"

"What do you mean?"

"This superhero business. When will it all end?"

"I thought you loved being the White Tiger."

"I loved it all the way up to the point I fell in love… with you. You ruined it for me."

He shrugged.

"I'm told I ruin a lot of things," he jested.

She slightly chuckled.

He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips, as a sign of assurance.

"We'll be fine, Ava."

Suddenly, Sam called out for them from the first floor.

"Hey guys! Are you both ready yet?! Phantom's almost ready!"

"Coming, Sam!" Peter called back.

They both walked down and saw the rest of the team already huddled up. Luke, Danny, and Sam were all in their suits, with Harry still in the Iron Patriot suit.

"You _still_ haven't figured out how to get out of that thing, Harry?" Peter curiously asked.

He sighed.

"No. But, no worries… I found out how this thing cleans out my… my 'needs'. Let's just leave it at that."

Sam looked disgusted.

"As long as you keep those 'needs' away, I think we'll be okay, Harry," Luke assured him, "Know the weapons system yet?"

"Somewhat. My energy beams can either go 'boom' or 'super boom'."

"What does 'super boom' do?" Danny curiously asked.

"I haven't tried yet. I'm afraid to use it."

"You might have to, man," Sam advised him, "Going up against these guys? They've got some tricks up their sleeves, I'm telling you."

"You act as though they're _that_ bad, Sam," Luke chuckled, "They're not even the worst ones we've gone up against."

"But they're still… pretty bad."

"Do not mind him, Harry," Danny told him, "He plays up our enemies all the time."

"I do not!"

"For a guy who's faced off with galactic monsters before, you really do play up our earthly enemies a lot, Sam," Ava coolly added.

"Alright, I see what's going on. Let's just all talk trash about Sam. I get it. Don't worry, when I go Nova, you'll all be begging for my assistance in the fight! But I'll just sit back, relax, and watch the show."

"He does that any other time, Harry," Peter joked.

Sam sighed.

"I hate you guys."

Peter glanced over and saw Deadpool, Fox, Wolfe, and Firewalker talking in the living room. He excused himself from his group to go talk to them.

"So, Ava, did you figure out how to fight in those heels at the casino?" Sam jokingly asked as Peter walked off.

"You want to find out, Alexander? I can go upstairs and show you if that's what you _really_ want to find out!"

"…eh, on second thought, forget I asked."

It sounded like Deadpool had just finished telling a story to the three of them when Peter joined in. Wolfe and Firewalker nodded in greeting while Fox simply smiled.

"…and I farted in Galactus' nose! Cable nearly ripped my head off for doing that, but I figured 'fuck it, why not?' Haha," Deadpool concluded his story.

"Wow," Fox expressed, sounding very unamused, "Looks like you've seen a lot of things in your adventures through time then."

"That's an understatement, Foxy baby. Let me tell you about the time Juggernaut split my body in half! Boy, that was not fun!"

"I have a question," Wolfe grunted.

"Shoot, Wolfie."

"Is there anyway I can rip your mouth right off your face so that you can shut up forever?"

"That's happened to me before, actually! It grows back, don't you worry!" he happily answered.

The phantom hunter simply rolled his eyes.

"What's up, Parker?" Firewalker finally spoke to him, "Sorry, Deadpool here was just telling us about his time-travelling gigs."

"How's that been?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know about _these guys_ , but I thought my adventures were pretty fun! But, like I told you before, web-head, saving the future is boring as all get out."

" _He's_ one of the few reasons why my visions tend to change from time to time," Fox disapprovingly added, "You know that gets annoying right?"

Deadpool shrugged.

"Why worry about it when something's already been done in the future to fix that? You want to know how many times the nuclear button's been pushed in the future? You know the shit Cable and I had to go through to prevent it? Go ahead, guess."

She shook her head.

"I don't think playing with future or present timelines is a good idea. Sometimes things are just _meant_ to play out."

" **Oh really**?!" Deadpool skeptically asked, "So, that vision that you've got, the one where you and Phantom have kids. How would _you_ feel if that future was never allowed to happen?"

She wasn't ready for that question, which caused her to hesitate.

"Okay, Deadpool, dude, you might be taking it a little too far now, homie," Firewalker stood up, "I'm gonna have to ask you to stop. That shit's personal."

"No, no, it's okay, Drake," Fox assured him.

"You sure?" Wolfe darkly asked, "I'd _love_ to get my paws on him."

"Come on, guys!" Deadpool exclaimed, "How am I the bad guy here? I get I might not be the most conventional anti-hero around, but shit, there's no profit to be made when the world's bound to end so many different times. Why not save it and keep things the way they are now?"

"Because I know there are forces present that nobody in this universe can rightly explain," Fox calmly told him, "…and for the record, if that… that vision… was never allowed to happen because of some unforeseen and unpredictable event… then…"

She paused. The others waited for her to finish her response.

"…then all I could do is hope with all my might and being that **Phantom** finds the happiness he so longs for. He… he deserves it."

"Huh," Deadpool unconvincingly commented, "Well, aren't you just _so_ heroic. If there's _one thing_ I learned from time-travel, Foxy, is that you learn not to _give a fuck_ about these 'forces' beyond our control when we're just trying to save the ones we care about the most."

"That's about the most sensible thing you've said all day," Wolfe observed.

"Thank you. I try."

The others joined in on the conversation, and soon everyone was debating Deadpool's logic on changing events through time, especially Sam, who was aware of what happens in black holes as they rip through time. He claimed there were **beings** who kept watch on the balance between ** _chaos and order_** throughout the multiverse, but he didn't know much about it apart from what a lot of elders who've seen the universe shape itself have told him in his adventures.

While they continued to talk, Peter separated himself to go see what Phantom and Agent 22 were talking about. He didn't go directly through the kitchen, instead opting to walk by one of the side corridors that had a hallway connecting it to the conference room.

As he approached, he heard Phantom's voice.

"… I **know** you know something, 22. What _aren't_ you telling me?"

"W-What I say is the t-t-t-truth, Phantom."

Peter snuck closer, keeping his back against the wall as he overheard the conversation.

"You know how many **liars** I've had to interrogate in my time with S.H.I.E.L.D.? Do you honestly think you can lie to **me** , of all people?"

"If we h-h-have a problem, then we should a-a-address it to the others."

"No. Because my suspicion is with **you**. You know if I un-glove my hand and physically touch your skin, I can see through every single part of your mind, right? I can read your memories and your darkest secrets like files on a computer screen. Are you willing to run that risk?"

"I have n-nothing to h-h-h-hide."

"Then I suppose there's no pain in finding out, right?" Phantom firmly asked, slowly un-gloving his hand.

"I've d-d-d-done nothing but assure Pe-Peter's safety! Why are y-y-you doing this?!"

"Because I care about Parker's well-being more than you do, I can sense it. My senses have never lied to me before."

He slowly approached 22, with the nervous agent walking backwards, away from him. Peter quickly stepped in before it got worse.

"What's going on here?" Peter curiously asked.

Phantom seemed slightly startled by his entrance, but simply looked at Agent 22 and placed his black glove back on his hand.

"Nothing, Peter. Nothing at all."

"It didn't sound like 'nothing', Phantom."

The specter shook his head and returned to the terminal on the conference table, bringing up a new projection.

"Don't worry about it. Can you please call the others over here? We're ready to lay out the planning for our attack."

"Alright."

Phantom kept his threatening gaze on Agent 22, who simply looked away while Peter went off to go get the others.

He wondered why Phantom was being so skeptical of Agent 22. Sure, the guy was a nervous wreck throughout their short time of knowing him, but he was helping them through every step of the way in catching H.Y.D.R.A., right?

…Right?

* * *

 _Back at The Dream Master's Palace casino…_

Wakandan authorities quickly cordoned off the building and had investigative units begin searching through the casino, interrogating its security personnel as well as reviewing the camera footage. Once the word of the count's murder reached his majesty on short-wave communication, he didn't hesitate to divert course and meet with **Okoye** there.

They allowed him to enter the scene of the murder, where detectives already finished taking pictures and were taking the murder weapon in as evidence. He stood at the doorway to the office alongside Okoye as he waited for his detectives to wrap it up.

"Do we have _any_ idea who could have done this?" he calmly asked Okoye.

"Besides the obvious suspects that are running amok throughout the city?"

He glanced over at Nefaria's body and slowly approached it, taking a moment to pause and examine the fatal wound in his forehead from afar.

"Whoever killed him had to have had his trust," he speculated, "Otherwise, he would _not_ have let him in here."

"Who could it be, my king?"

"If the name that Hill gave us is correct, then we have a slippery fellow hiding in our city. I believe he must have killed Nefaria to cut off a loose end. Nefaria _must_ have done something for him, for H.Y.D.R.A."

"And here I was beginning to think he had actually started walking a straighter line when we granted him a home here and he opened this casino," Okoye sarcastically commented.

"I wanted to believe it too, Okoye. But, there is more here than what we see sprawled about. If I am not mistaken, Nefaria helped in providing resources to bring more refugees here. I have a feeling he may have brought more than just people fleeing the warzones."

"What do you mean, my king?"

He pondered his speculations closely, trying to analyze every piece of evidence his detectives obtained. He knew Nefaria to be a mysterious man after he turned himself in and pledged allegiance to a simpler life on the side of good. He granted him this privilege out of goodwill that he would provide Wakanda a means of entertainment for his people, but he realized now that Nefaria still kept his connections close to his chest.

…and his foothold in Wakanda both made him a valuable asset and a dangerous liability. And **that** costed him his life.

Finally, his detectives were beginning to pull the memory drive off the desktop computer that Nefaria had on his desk.

"I suppose we shall find out," he finally answered Okoye, directing his attention to his men, "You men, notify me of whoever Nefaria's V.I.P.s were in this casino right away."

"Yes, my king!"

He turned back to face Okoye.

"Have we found Spider-Man, Phantom, and their teams yet?" he firmly asked.

Okoye shook her head.

"The only places we have not looked at yet are the Vibranium Mines underneath the mountain, the palace, and _**Justice I**_ _._ The rest of the city has and is still being combed through by ourselves and the other tribes. The Border Tribe has closed off all exits out of the city, so they should still be here."

"I doubt they would end up beneath the mountain," he dismissed the suggestion, "Send men to _**Justice I**_ and notify Hill of the situation. Please tell her that we are handling it as we speak. I will send some men to the palace to search for them in their apartment."

"We should have done that in the first place," Okoye sharply pointed out.

"I know. So long as their bodies have not turned up, then they are still alive. We need to close in on these rogues before they start killing off more than just superheroes."

With the plan set in stone, Black Panther left the casino and was escorted via his Royal Talon aircraft back towards the palace. Okoye sent a team of her warriors to the R.O.G.U.E. flagship.

* * *

 _Back at the apartment…_

"Alright, so, tell us what we're going to do, Phantom," Sam requested, "Let's get rid of these baddies."

"You said it's the **Sinister Six** , right?" Firewalker curiously asked, "Who's the sixth guy?"

"I was wondering the same thing," Harry wondered as well.

"We're not sure yet," Peter answered.

"Well, we outnumber them, so we good, right?" Firewalker then asked.

"They're not your typical bad guys," Luke quickly explained, "Each one of them is dangerous in their own unique way."

"Wait, really? I mean, come on, Kingpin? Really? Homie looks like he could lose a few pounds."

"Try getting your block knocked right off by one of his punches, man," Peter remarked, "He can hold his own, that's for damn sure, even if he's not a typical 'super-powered' bad guy."

"He's just a fat Lex Luthor is all," Deadpool chuckled.

"Wait, who's Lex Luthor?" Sam curiously asked.

Phantom firmly, yet gently, slammed the desk to gather everyone's attention. They all quickly glued their sights on the hologram that was glowing in the middle of the table. It seemed to be a map of a cave system.

"What's this?" Ava curiously asked.

"I was able to acquire the layout to the vibranium mines inside Mount Bashenga. They're very intricate, as you can see."

He wasn't kidding. It looked like a vast network of shafts and tunnels that spread out across the mountain and deep into the planet's crust. In the middle seemed to be some sort of monorail system that efficiently retrieved the vibranium out of the mines and back up to the surface to be collected and refined.

Sam inched closer to the hologram.

"Holy crap. There's enough vibranium in those mines to bring the _entire_ world to the 23rd century!"

"That's a little bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?" Ava skeptically wondered.

"No," Phantom corrected, "He's right. That's not even to mention that these mines are only a small fraction of the total amount of vibranium that's still left to be discovered."

A good number of people in the room widened their eyes in surprise.

"Alright, alright, enough about the cool shiny rocks, let's get to the killing part!" Deadpool urged.

Phantom sighed and roll his eyes.

"So, when I acquired this map, I noticed that there's a blockage between two of the deeper tunnels in the far-end of the cave system. Its location is unique because it's deep enough for any heat sources to remain undetected from the mine's advanced security system. I believe that's where this 'hideout' is. It's the most likely spot."

"Wait, heat sources?" Peter repeated, "Are there no workers or miners in these tunnels?"

The specter shook his head.

"The Mining Tribe monitors the mechanized mining process, but constant cave-ins and deaths forced the king, many years ago, to push innovation in a new process that helps keep the miners from dying."

"I've seen tech like that in other planets," Sam brought up, "But, how will _we_ get in and get to the hideout."

"If you would let him talk, he would tell you," Danny calmly told him.

Sam quivered his lips and quieted himself.

"We'll enter through an abandoned connecting shaft on the far-side of the mountain. It used to be a smoke escape in the event of a fire inside the mines. They blocked it decades ago when they mechanized their mining process, but we can still gain access to the deep tunnels via that shaft. It'll be a steep drop, so we'll have to tread through there carefully.

"Once inside, we'll come across a crossroads that will lead to this blocked off chamber. One of them leads to a higher section of the chamber while another goes lower. I suggest we split up here so that we can cover the most ground and so that we don't get caught off-guard should we get ambushed.

"We'll cover the chamber from there and confront them. If they're not there, we'll gather up whatever evidence that we can and bring it back to R.O.G.U.E. or Black Panther."

"Why don't we alert him now?" Wolfe wondered.

"How, old man?" Firewalker questioned, "Did you forget about the communications block? We can either wait around and wait for H.Y.D.R.A. and the Sinister Six to show up and dice us up here **or** we can bring the fight to them and beat the shit outta them!"

"I get that, but Phantom and I have been to war, we **know** the odds of getting ambushed."

Phantom fixed his stare onto Agent 22 for a temporary pause while Wolfe continued.

"I just think it would be **wise** if we alerted the host nation instead of running around like this."

"He has a point," Danny concurred, "Maybe we _should_ wait for his majesty to return."

"What? And wait for them to come to _us?_ Come on, guys," Sam protested, "These guys are _our_ problem. Not the Avengers. Not the X-Men. Not the Guardians of the Galaxy. **Our** problem."

"For once, buckethead, I actually **agree** with you," Ava enthusiastically agreed.

"Me too," Peter added, "It's now or never, then, guys. Let's stop them and put an end to H.Y.D.R.A. and their allies once and for all."

"Sounds like a solid plan!" Deadpool happily observed, withdrawing his pistols, "Let's get to it, Phantom!"

He simply sighed.

Agent 22 merely studied the layout of their plan intensively, away from Phantom's prying gaze, as they rallied together in their motivation. He seemed to hide something the moment Phantom looked back at him, keeping up his nervous twitch about him.

* * *

 **A/N** : Hey again, guys. So, as you can see, we decided to split this up into three parts instead of just two. It was _that_ long and we felt maybe the mini-story could be better paced if we separated them like this in different parts. We'll wrap it up with the last part the next chapter and finally have some "down time" before the final chapters, which are fast approaching.

I know I took **The Story's Shadow's** specific review to heart the most regarding Ava, which Jack and I have both remedied, but we feel that it's more natural to show slight vulnerability here because this is a spectrum she's never gone through before. That being said, we are going to look towards the other chapters to show her confidence building regarding her relationship with Peter as it finally progresses into _that_ scene. Thank you so much for bringing that up to us, though.

We appreciate everyone else's reviews and we hope you guys are enjoying this part. It's one of our favorite parts of this story. Let us know what was good/what could use improvement/etc. Thanks again!

 **As always, feedback is appreciated!**

Warm regards, always,

 _ **Aferus**_


	43. Wakandan Rendezvous, Part III

_**Wakandan Rendezvous**_

 _ **Part Three**_

 **A/N** **:** Hey guys. So, this is the longest chapter yet in possibly the whole story so far. I know, I know, it's a lot. :/ But, it'll wrap up the Wakandan Rendezvous story and move on to the final chapters of the story (finally!). Thanks again to everyone who's read this far, we hope you're enjoying the story and we hope you enjoy the last chapter of this sub-plot. Thanks so much!

\- _**Aferus & Jack Montero**_

* * *

 _A little while later, at the Wakandan Royal Palace…_

Once his Royal Talon Fighter landed back at the palace, **Black Panther** marched out with a small team of his personal guard, ordering them to search the entirety of the palace for **Spider-Man** , **Phantom** , and the others. In the hallways, he turned towards the apartment he assigned for them to stay in and opened the front door into darkness.

Switching the lighting on, he found it completely empty. He scanned around, but the apartment's security system reported no one inside. Not taking that as an answer, he perused around the study, then towards the conference area. There, he quickly noticed that the terminal on the conference table was recently used for something.

Glancing through it, he saw images of the vibranium mining system beneath **Mount Bashenga** , with strategic layouts all pointing at a blocked-off central chamber deep within the mines.

"Where have you all gone?" he wondered aloud, "Why have you all gone to the heart of Wakanda?"

Further investigation revealed their plan. They were planning to access the vibranium mines through a blocked-off vertical shaft behind the mountain. His eyes widened as he read along, seeing that their goal was to discover the "hideout" of **H.Y.D.R.A.**

"This cannot be."

Without another moment to lose, T'Challa sprinted out of the apartment and back towards the Royal Talon Fighter, calling his warriors to his aid. Knowing _where_ they were heading upped the threat H.Y.D.R.A. (and whoever else was involved) posed to Wakanda and the safety of everyone within it.

He sent word to **Okoye** to warn the other tribal leaders and to prepare for a possible attack from within Mount Bashenga.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the airspace above Birnin Zana…_

With **Phantom** at the piloting controls to their Quinjet, the team sat around the main cabin, all of them eagerly waiting to see the end of all this. The shadowy mountain loomed over the city, with the iconic panther statue representing the Wakandan god **Bast** , keeping a constant watch over the city. It quickly came into view as they glided away from the lighted skies above the city.

Nova and Harry flew close to the Quinjet, keeping an eye out for any H.Y.D.R.A. Quinjets that might ambush and try to knock them out before reaching their destination. But, alas, the skies were relatively quiet. It was different than how it was earlier in the marketplace, where several Quinjets flew in to attack them.

"It's too quiet," Wolfe darkly noted, "Either they _know_ we're coming or their hideout isn't beneath this mountain."

"Stop being negative, bruh," Firewalker sharply countered, "This is _exactly_ how you acted the last time we ran into problems."

"We survived didn't we, boy?"

"You just too negative, homie. You need to chill. Lighten up. Relax."

Wolfe rolled his eyes.

"It's _your_ negativity that's kept you from fully disappearing."

"Hey!" Firewalker snapped, "I'm workin' on it!"

"What's he talking about?" Peter curiously asked Fox, "Fully disappearing?"

"I thought Firewalker was the only one who couldn't disappear like the rest of you," Luke observed.

"That's what _we_ believed too," Fox kindly answered, "That is, until we had a gas leak at the Sanctuary a year ago. While he was trying to find the source, his body reacted to the presence of the gas and caused him to temporarily go invisible in the form of gas."

"Can't you still technically _see_ gas?" Nova skeptically asked through the radio chat, having overheard them.

"It'll be easier to hide in than smoke or fire," Firewalker sighed, "But, I haven't gone anywhere close to doing it again."

Wolfe edged a little closer to Firewalker from across the cabin.

"…you'll get it in time. Youjust need to be _less_ _negative._ "

"Hardy har har."

The hull of the Quinjet slightly shuddered as it ascended sharply over Mount Bashenga, with the vertical shaft entrance not too far away now.

"You know," Nova expressed, "I was expecting to _relax_ once we got to Wakanda. I wasn't expecting to run into _this_ crap once we got here."

"You're foolish if you thought you were going to get a pause," Wolfe disputed, "In war, there is no pause. There is only death… destruction…"

His glowing yellow eyes trailed off and spaced out onto the closed ramp, almost as though he was seemingly lost in a memory.

"Why did he go quiet?"

"Don't worry, Nova," Fox assured him, "He just got lost in one of his flashbacks. He does this all the time."

"Just nobody touch him until he snaps back into reality," Firewalker warned, "Unless you want your arm bitten off, of course."

Finally, Phantom steered the aircraft forward onto a slightly inclined landing, just beyond the brush of the jungle, and placed the Quinjet gently on solid ground.

"Come," he urged them, "Let's not waste anymore time."

The rear ramp opened and they all made their way through the sparse brush on the inclined face of the mountain, towards what appeared to be a giant pit. Phantom, using his electrical bracers as a light source, led them towards the edge of it. They stopped short, with the specter having to straighten his arm out to prevent Peter from walking straight into the massive hole.

There were remnants of a campsite left to be consumed by time. It had been abandoned for a while now. That being said, any system of stairways or ladders used to go up and down the vertical shaft was long destroyed, which left them few options on how to get down there.

"Okay. So, we're _here_ ," Spidey pointed out, "But, how will everyone get _down there?"_

"Don't forget we need to find a way to unblock it below as well," Phantom quickly mentioned.

"Shiiiiieeet," Firewalker then blurted aloud, "No worries on that. I've got enough 'firepower' to light up Los Angeles."

"Was… was that a pun?" Nova asked.

"It's a fact, homie."

"That still leaves us to figure out how to make our descent," Iron Fist contemplated, "Perhaps we can use a rope?"

"What rope?" Luke canvassed the area.

"I _could_ try to use my spider-webbing to create a rope for everyone."

Tiger looked up into the sky and saw the faint rays of light beginning to rise at the horizon. Morning was fast approaching soon.

"That would take too long for everyone," she noted.

On the side, Harry stamped the Iron Patriot's metallic boots down on the edge and leaned forward to take a look down at the bottom.

"Guys," he spoke up to get everyone's attention, "My suit's not picking up anything at the bottom."

"What do you mean?" Phantom inquired.

"I mean there's no floor. It doesn't have a reading. It's just… bottomless."

"It could be the vibranium bouncing your signal. Trust me. That metal has properties that nobody outside of Wakanda has figured out yet."

"I remember when we ran into that crap back when we were teamed up with Taskmaster," Deadpool reflected, "Remember, Phantom?"

"Yeah. We avoided coming back to this part of Africa after our tech went haywire trying to register enemy locations embedded _around_ Wakanda. So, I wouldn't count on Stark tech for this one, Harry."

While Harry and Phantom discussed it, Spidey noticed that **Agent 22** was being _especially_ quiet. It looked like he was contemplating something in his head in a calculative manner. He'd gone from somewhat talkative to completely silent as the evening had gone on.

"We're running out of time, guys," Luke brought up, "What's the plan? How do we get down there?"

Harry shrugged and looked back at Phantom.

"What do you think, man? It's your call. My only thing is that we **don't know** what's down there."

While Phantom kept eyeballing the pit, he heard someone start running through the dirt ground behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see **White Tiger** sprint right past, between both him and Harry, and leap out into the pit.

"Let's find out, guys!" she shouted as she fell.

"Oooooh, I _like_ her!" Deadpool happily expressed.

"Well, that's _one_ way to find out!" Harry acknowledged, quickly taking flight after her.

The rest followed suit, with Wolfe loudly howling as both he, Luke, and Danny sprinted out and jumped down. Firewalker dissipated into smoke and followed through, while Nova took hovered behind them. Spidey shrugged and jumped forward, pretending that he was taking a skydive from the Empire State Building all over again. Deadpool jumped off right after him.

Harry activated exterior lights on the Iron Patriot suit, illuminating the pit as they all fell forward and giving them _some_ guidance as to where they were going.

Phantom and Fox waited behind, ensuring everyone took their leap of faith.

"You're the last one, 22," Phantom darkly noted, "Jump."

"I-I-I'm af-afraid of… WHOAH!"

Phantom shoved him off the edge and watched him fall.

"You need to work on your people skills, tonto."

"Yeah, yeah."

They both clasped each other's opposite hands and jumped off together, following the group.

Spidey had picked up speed in his fall, speeding past the others and catching up to Ava and Harry at the front of them.

"This is a _long drop_ , guys!" he shouted at them.

"At least we're getting there faster!" Tiger shouted back.

"Hold up!" Harry alarmingly interrupted, "I'm picking up the floor incoming fast! 500 meters… 400 meters…"

Spidey quickly sped forward ahead of them and shot several strands of webbing in all directions, forming a large spider-web that spanned the circumference of the vertical shaft. By doing so, everybody safely landed in the trampoline-like web. As they each landed, he shot out more strands of web to reinforce the spider-web.

Deadpool screamed as he landed face-first onto the web.

"Ah, I love it!" he cried in joy, "We need to do that again!"

Finally, Phantom and Fox landed and they were able to regroup. Harry balanced himself on the web and looked down.

"Holy shit, guys. We are exactly **10 feet** from the floor of the pit. If Peter hadn't strung that web, we would've splat."

"Still, that was fun!" Deadpool joyously pointed out, "Great thinking, Tiger!"

She coolly shrugged.

"It wasn't that bad. _You_ guys were taking too long!"

"True enough," Phantom agreed, "Moving on, now."

Spidey undid the web and they all landed onto the actual floor of the vertical shaft. Firewalker ignited into his flaming form and asked that everyone step back while he fired up his super-heating powers. Once doing so, he began **burning** a hole into the rock. It was going slow at first, so Harry and Nova stepped in and supplemented his elemental power with their energy beams. It sped up the process. Within a few short minutes, they burned a hole through the flattened blockage and they all jumped inside into the vibranium mines below.

Since the tunnels were completely pitch-black, Firewalker stayed in his fire-form to illuminate the mines. Around them, they could see the soft-glowing rock that was the vibranium metal. They took a brief moment to look around while Phantom caught a sense of direction to where they were going.

Deadpool then whipped out a small black bag and attempted to break off parts of the vibranium to stash away.

"What the hell are you doing, Deadpool?" Nova harshly asked.

"Trying to… snap this… off!" he grunted, "Do you know how much a pound of this goes for in the black market?!"

"Seriously, man?" Spidey snapped, "You're still worried about making a buck?!"

"Watch it, web-head. **Somebody's** gotta make a profit after this war is over. I doubt the Wakandans will worry about a little loss in their vibranium stores."

"He's right, Deadpool. _Stop it,"_ Tiger sharply ordered, "What you're doing is _wrong_."

He sighed, putting away the bag.

"Alright, alright. Whatever. I couldn't get it to break off anyway."

" **Greed** is an evil trait to possess, Deadpool," Iron Fist calmly told him, "It is best to refrain yourself from your selfish ambitions and look to improving the situation of everyone else."

Deadpool cocked an eyebrow at his fortune-cookie comment, but simply ignored him.

Phantom tapped the mapping device he was using to get a sense of direction, but it wasn't working. The vibranium was blocking the device's ability to function properly.

"I really hope we get vibranium-integrated technology by the time this war is over," he murmured.

"Don't worry, tonto. I've got this."

Fox stepped forward and raised her right arm. She formed a bright white orb in her hand, which made her eyes glow a bright white. She activated her powers of **clairvoyance** that illuminated the pathway towards their destination.

"Follow me, guys," she beckoned everyone.

Keeping her white orb raised high with her right arm, she marched forward. Phantom followed behind her, with everyone else doing so as well.

"Hopefully they don't sense us coming," Wolfe muttered

"There ya go being all negative again, homie."

"How am I being negative this time?"

"Have a little faith, big dawg!"

They followed Fox past other tunnels throughout the vast vibranium mines. They briefly walked by a giant underground quarry where machines were mining the ore and placing it on what appeared to be a high-powered train system that brought the unrefined ore back up to the surface and another would be back again to pick up another load within minutes.

By the time they reaached the blocked off chamber deep within the mines, traces of the vibranium were gone. This meant that they had reached an area where either it was completely mined off or there was never any trace of the metal too begin with. Regardless, they reached the fork in the road where one tunnel led to the higher parts of the chamber while the other stayed at ground level.

"Alright, everyone," Phantom spoke, "We know our plan. We go in and see what they want. Neither H.Y.D.R.A. or the Sinister Six have **any** business here in Wakanda. Let's find out what they want with Spider-Man and get to the bottom of this. Hopefully we can try to escape any bloodshed that may come about."

"Oh, it's _gonna_ come about," Deadpool assured him, "That's why I'm here, folks! Got to fight crazy with crazy!"

"Don't worry, pups," Wolfe grunted as he heaved his huge rifle onto his shoulder, "We've got you covered should things go south."

"Oh, **now** you want to act all positive and shit," Firewalker sarcastically pointed out.

"I think we got it," Nova confidently expressed, "It's just the Sinister Six and some H.Y.D.R.A. goons. What's the worst that can happen?"

Tiger rolled her eyes.

"Something's _bound_ to happen now that you said that."

"Good! I can take them! I'm _Nova!"_

"Ten bucks says Vulture will knock him out of the air first," Luke murmured to Iron Fist, to which he nodded in agreement.

The teams split up, with Specter Haven on one side, and the rest with Spidey and his team, to include Harry, Deadpool, and Agent 22. Specter Haven, as planned, would keep overwatch in the higher part of the chamber, while Spidey and his team confronted H.Y.D.R.A. and the Sinister Six on the floor of the chamber.

They departed, with Spidey leading the way towards the chamber, which… surprisingly… was unblocked. It wasn't closed off as they had expected it to be, as it was read in the layout.

"I'm reading multiple heat signatures in the chamber, guys," Harry alerted them.

"Good," Luke commented, "We've got them surrounded then."

"Easy, big guy," Nova warned, "We could be walking into a trap."

"Oh, not so high and mighty now, are ya?" Tiger joked.

Nova sighed hearing this.

"I regret having you come back from Brazil."

"Calm down, guys," Iron Fist diffused the tension, "We are here to stop them and whatever they are trying to accomplish. We shall fight them and find out what we must."

"You guys worry too much," Deadpool chuckled, "It's just H.Y.D.R.A. They're the masters of pissing people off and running away when things get too hot for them."

Spidey looked back at his team before walking into the darkened chamber. They all looked at him with confidence, assured of their team leader. He glanced over to Agent 22, who had a stolid expression on his face. It uneased him seeing the mysterious agent like this. Just hours ago, he was lively and full of nervous expression, but now…

Now he looked deadly. Almost possessed.

"Let's go."

* * *

 _Meanwhile… back at Shuri's lab…_

With the communications block still present throughout the city, **Tony Stark** and **Bruce Banner** took the initiative to take a Quinjet over to see **Shuri** after being suggested to do so by Hill, who emphasized that they should make great use of their time in Wakanda by having two of their brightest minds to learn more about the intricate vibranium technology that Wakanda offered.

Banner took the readouts to the **Super Electrode** and brought it to Shuri, who was still working on the virus for R.O.G.U.E. Upon seeing the readouts, she nearly had a heart attack from laughing. After explaining that she laughed from the sheer fact that the technology involved with the device was so outdated, she got to work and started collaborating with Stark and Banner on how to improve the device by using a holographic model of the device to edit it.

"I don't understand," Stark sharply commented, "Why are you moving these two electrical components off the power storage? Those boost the power output to expand the range of the device."

She simply chuckled.

"Please, Mr. Stark, we have _actual technology_ here in Wakanda. Observe."

She twirled the image around and added two unique Wakandan electrical components made from modified vibranium and replaced the original copper parts and pointed at the power output percentage on the bottom right side of the hologram.

It went from **117%** output to **372%** output.

"That's…that's impossible," Banner expressed, in awe, once he saw the numbers rise.

"We will need to re-work the range field as well," Shuri proudly sighed, "Imagine how quickly you all could have stopped the Reapers had you had vibranium."

"Please, Princess Shuri, let's not talk about that," Banner respectfully requested, "Wakanda is fortunate, indeed, but that's why we came to you for help."

"Of course," she respectfully withdrew her comment, "I apologize."

"No need," Stark assured her, "But, I'd like to see how you plan on re-modifying the range field on it. I've tried to use a different element, something I used in my modifications of the arc reactor, but…"

Suddenly, a ding was heard on her computer on the table opposite of the hologram.

"Excuse me, gentlemen."

While the two scientists continued to examine the modifications to the Super Electrode, Shuri looked at the computer that was tracking the source of the communications block. It read a positive on a location.

The source of the communications block was beneath **Mount Bashenga** , _within_ the vibranium mines. Her eyes widened, turning her attention over to the glass pane out into the vast chasm of the vibranium mines below.

Quickly, she brought up a map of the locators both her and her brother have on their wrists. From what she was reading, T'Challa was near the source of the comm blocker.

* * *

 _Back in the vibranium mines…_

 **Specter Haven** carefully made their way up the rocky incline leading towards the upper level of the blocked-off chamber. Phantom led the way while Wolfe guarded the rear of the group.

"What's your deal with 22, homie?" Firewalker curiously asked Phantom, "You keep brushing him off and shit."

"I don't trust him."

"You don't trust anyone," Wolfe humorously muttered.

"I trust _you three_. I trust _Spider-Man and his team_. But this Agent 22 is a shaky character."

"Literally," Firewalker laughed, "But, he seems genuine, don't he?"

"He plays a good act. That's for certain. I could sense it."

"What do you mean?" Fox asked.

"I guess we'll find out."

Suddenly, Firewalker stopped in his tracks and began fiddling with his communicator on his wrist. Wolfe noticed this and grunted for the others to stop.

"What is it, Drake?" Wolfe irritably asked.

"This piece-of-shit communicator shut off," he sighed, "I had to restart it."

"Can this wait?" Phantom anxiously inquired.

"Hey, _you're_ the one always stressing to the juniors about being prepared before a fight, so let me prep."

"Well, is it working or not?"

The screen turned back on and it informed him that the settings needed to be re-configured.

"Ugh, shit. Alright. So, what's today's date?"

Wolfe lifted the communicator on his wrist and read off the date. Fox's eyes widened once she heard it. Firewalker quickly finished the set-up and put it down.

"Sweet, thanks, homie. I've just got to configure the signal but since there's a comm block, ain't no point in trying right now."

"Well, that's surprising…" Fox softly laughed, shrugging.

"What's surprising?" Phantom asked.

"It's my birthday today."

"Oh shit, happy birthday Foxy, how old is you now, girl?"

 _Thump._

Wolfe smacked Firewalker across the head when he asked this.

"You don't ask those types of questions, Drake."

"Whaaaaat? I'm just asking! Shit!"

"It's alright, guys. I'm actually 30 now."

"You _still_ look good for 30, Foxy!"

 _Thump._

"Ow! Cut it out, old man!"

"I… I didn't realize it was your birthday," Phantom suddenly and genuinely spoke, "I apologize. It's just... with everything going on…"

"Hey, it's alright, tonto! I forgot myself. Don't worry about it!" she kindly assured him.

"Still… we… we need to celebrate once this is all over."

"A birthday party?" Firewalker excitedly asked, "Yooooo, I'd be down for that! Let's do it!"

"Oh, come on, guys. It's not a big deal, really."

"I agree," Phantom added his voice, "We'll do it."

"But, what about the war? We've got to get ready for that, guys."

"We'll do it," he repeated, assuring her with a confidence look.

She smiled back at him.

"As long as there's a few bottles of Whiskey, I'm all for it," Wolfe happily grunted.

"You're an alcoholic, Wolfe," Firewalker chuckled, "But, I'll down one bottle if you down the other!"

They resumed their path through the tunnel, finally taking a step forward into the unblocked chamber. This alarmed Phantom at first, since the chamber was _supposed_ to be blocked off. But, this reinforced their suspicion of what was going on. This was definitely their hideout.

* * *

 _In the lower level of the massive chamber…_

The team cautiously stepped out into the darkened stadium-like chamber. There were rows and rows of mining crates sprawled about, all filled to the brim with vibranium ore. The edges of the chamber were shrouded in darkness, with only the middle of the chamber directly illuminated by the glowing ore. It smelled of rusting metal and industrial chemicals as well.

"Be on your guard, guys," Harry quietly warned, "My detectors are going haywire from the vibranium."

"That is not a good sign," Iron Fist worriedly observed.

As they approached the center of the chamber, Spidey could make out what appeared to be a circular outline on the ground. Once he had stepped on top of it, he could feel that the ground wasn't earthly. It was metallic. The circle was a giant platform of some sort. He glanced back and saw the rest of the team walk on-top of it without realizing they had stepped onto the platform.

Suddenly…

Spider-sense rang off, and the platform began to glow a bright blue light.

"Guys, watch out!" he loudly warned, but a moment too late.

The platform activated and froze them in time, immobilizing their arms, legs, and muscles. All they could do was breathe, and even that was difficult. Spidey tried to move his head, but a force was keeping him from doing so. Even more so, they were all unable to talk or communicate.

It was a stasis field.

He then heard a deep chuckle echo across the chamber.

Bright lights suddenly switched on, covering the entirety of the chamber and revealing a massive enclave of H.Y.D.R.A. troops circling the entire chamber, all aiming down at _them._ There had to be at least a hundred… no three hundred? More.

It was an ambush.

Then, he heard a loud and slow clap.

The stasis field then violently moved them around, until they all faced the same direction: forward, where they all got a good look at who was pulling the strings.

 **Kingpin** , in his white suit and black dress shirt and pants was the one doing the clapping. He had a slight grin on his face, holding his cane in the fold of his arm as he concluded clapping.

To his right, **Scorpion** , clad in his darkish green scorpion-like armor and elongated stinger, stood with his arms crossed. His mask's red lenses gave him a threatening and menacing look, but they could still see the grin from his exposed mouth.

To Kingpin's left, stood **Shocker** , who kept his bracers pointed at the team, ready to send a debilitating blast at them if they were to escape. He had discarded the suit he had back at the casino and was now fully costumed in his yellow-padded shock-absorbent armored suit.

So, there were the three of them, but he couldn't see Vulture or Beetle anywhere. Not to mention, there was the mysterious **sixth** villain they were worried about. The one who murdered **Count Nefaria**.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the dreaded **Spider** and his gang of children," Kingpin spoke heavily, "…caught in our own web at last."

"Let's gut them while we have the chance," Scorpion harshly suggested.

"I'm with you on that one," Shocker agreed.

"No, no," Kingpin firmly ordered, "We will have our fun yet."

"There's the **boss** ," Scorpion pointed out.

The "boss"? At this point, Peter had thought that perhaps it was Kingpin pulling the strings. But, he was wrong. Was it Beetle, Vulture? Or the sixth member?

His heart dropped when he saw **Agent 22** walking into view, grinning ear to ear as he discarded his R.O.G.U.E. cap to reveal his short hair. He eagerly shook the hands of the other three and turned to stand a few feet in front of them, standing with his arms crossed at the trapped team.

"Surprised?" he asked, chuckling, "I know. It's a lot to take in."

He clicked on what appeared to be a control rod in his right hand and the stasis field slightly loosened its grip, giving Spidey and the others the ability to talk while still physically trapped.

"22!" Spidey angrily shouted, "What the hell, man?! I… we thought you were with R.O.G.U.E.?!"

"Yeah!" Harry added his voice, "How could you betray them like that?! You sold us out!"

"Answer us, man!" Luke demanded.

"You're going to regret trapping **me** here," Deadpool humorously chuckled, "Just you wait until Hill hears about this! She won't mind that I shredded you all into diced meat!"

22 merely chuckled.

"I betrayed **no one**. It was all a simple tact of **deception**."

Slowly, he reached for his neck and firmly pulled on the seam of his skin. It began to rip off, almost like rubber. They watched with slight uneasiness as the fleshy skin of his head slipped right off, revealing the pale skin underneath of the true face. The skin seemed metallic as it was hairless, with only two eyes, a mouth, and ears to make up the structure of the head.

Peter immediately recognized him.

 **The Chameleon**.

"Oh shit," Deadpool quietly gasped, "He pulled a Taskmaster when he pretended to be your gym teacher, webhead!"

"Don't remind me."

"I should've known," Tiger sighed, "But, H-How did you…"

"Survive?" he finished her question, "…with great difficulty, I assure you. My comrades and I went through a great deal of troubles to stay ahead of the Reaper Invasion."

"Don't worry, guys!" Nova confidently assured his team, "Once the specters show up, these assholes are dead! Best surrender now while you still can, Chameleon!"

The four of them laughed.

"You mean, _these_ specters?"

He nodded in the direction away from the team and within a few seconds, they heard the signature vulture screech echo loudly throughout the chamber. Out of nowhere, Wolfe was thrown and landed hard on his stomach, along with Fox to his side, directly in between the stasis field and the villains.

 **Vulture** came landing down, with his massive black metallic wings spreading widely in front of them. His bald head was covered by a black mask and visor, with a mouthpiece somewhat resembling a beak and a bomber jacket with a feathery-like collar.

While Fox tried to help Wolfe up, Vulture took flight and swung his wings around to kick them directly into the stasis field, trapping the both of them and preventing them from disappearing.

"Just… just you wait until I get my hands on you… I'll tear your insides out like I did to birds back in the Yukon!" Wolfe angrily growled.

"You wish," Vulture simply taunted back.

Out of nowhere, **Beetle** came hovering down, having trapped Firewalker in his smoky form using some sort of miniaturized electromagnetic field emitter, he carried the smoky essence and dispersed it into the stasis field, where it reverted back to Firewalker in his human form.

"God damn it!" he angrily shouted, "You cheated, bruh! That shit ain't fair!"

"You forgot one, prick!" Nova chuckled, "The most dangerous one of them all at that!"

"Oh, you mean _him_?" Chameleon chuckled, nodding again to his men.

Suddenly, a loud electromagnetic field blasted through from speaker-like devices lining the walls of the chamber. They were similar to those that they saw **Taskmaster** use on-board the original heli-carrier he hijacked during the **Manhattan Incident**.

This forced Phantom to reappear a few feet away from the Sinister Six. The electromagnetic field caused him to crouch down in pain, dropping his sword, and unable to disappear.

"No! You leave him alone!" Spidey unsuccessfully tried to defend him.

Beetle walked up and sharply kicked Phantom on his back to knock him down flat, while Scorpion marched right up and swiftly impaled him on his back with his stinger. He lifted the downed specter up and launched him into the stasis field, where he stayed frozen and unconscious.

"So much for 'most dangerous'," Beetle murmured.

They had been ambushed and now captured, with nowhere to run and nobody to call for help.

"At last we have you here, Spider-Man," Chameleon then spoke, "At last, we will have our revenge, for everything you've done."

"This guy totally just partially quoted Darth Maul from Episode I," Deadpool laughed.

"Wait, 'revenge'?" Spidey nervously chuckled, "Come on, guys. You _do_ realize the end of the world is going on just outside Wakanda's borders, right? Why are we even talking about this? Haven't you guys lost everything too?!"

"We lost a lot more after all the times **you** busted us, spider," Scorpion firmly answered, "We were all trapped in max-security when the invasion showed up. Some of us didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to our **families** by the time we broke out… no thanks to _you."_

"That's hardly Spidey's fault," Fox defended, "You live a criminal's life, you forfeit your care for your loved ones."

"You act as though some of us _wanted_ to live a life of crime. The system turned their backs on us," Shocker sharply retorted, "We don't expect you to understand."

"Especially when you have a man in your ranks who has never known a second of poverty in his life," Chameleon glanced at Harry.

"Oh yeah," Harry sarcastically answered, "Let's all blame the rich guy. Classic."

"Enough with this shit!" Wolfe thundered, "What do you intend to do with the spider?! With us?!"

"You're all useless to us," Kingpin answered in his deep and commanding voice, "But the **Spider** has value to us."

"What, you're going to kill him?" Luke asked, "Is that it?"

"No," Chameleon shook his head, "You see, when we were leaving New York, we ran into this entity… **Reaper** , who knew of our hatred for Spider-Man. In exchange for safe passage out of the city, he asked **me** to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. In the event that Director Sitwell failed his duty to the Reaper, **I** would enact an emergency plan, with the aid of the remnants of H.Y.D.R.A., who have come under my command."

"I fucking knew it!" Nova exclaimed, "You _are_ working for the Reaper! Let me guess, you guys are going to bring webs back to him, am I right? That's your 'emergency bullshit plan'?"

"That's right," Vulture acknowledged.

"But, _why_ me?" Spidey demanded, "Why not Captain America? Iron Man? Phantom or Phantasm? Somebody who Reaper should actually be afraid of? Why… why me?"

He then remembered the attempts Reaper has made to try and influence his mind through their secret mental connection. There was a reason for that. A reason beyond his understanding.

"I don't know," Chameleon simply answered, "I didn't really care to ask. He promised we could do whatever with you, so long as you were still alive upon returning to Manhattan. So, that's exactly what we plan to do."

Kingpin began cracking his knuckles, while the others seemed to stretch or loosen themselves up for what Spidey quickly realized was a massive beatdown.

"Take me instead!" Deadpool tried to coerce, "I can take a beating! My costume kind of looks like Spidey's too! Come on! Don't take the kid!"

"Yeah! Leave him alone!" Tiger fiercely demanded, "He's done nothing but try to _save people_ , criminal or no criminal, since this war started! You guys are on the wrong side here!"

"I'm afraid _that_ we cannot do," Chameleon pretended to lament, "We're on whatever side we need to be. _That_ you can be certain of."

Spidey's heart started to race, trying to figure out a plan out of this predicament. With the specters and his team trapped in the same stasis field, he had no options out of it.

"Maybe we can parlay?" Spidey finally asked, with a sliver of optimism to appeal to their better nature.

"Not happening!" Scorpion grunted.

He stepped closer and swung his stinger around, stabbing Spidey right through his left thigh. He cringed in pain as Scorpion's neurotoxin entered his bloodstream and weakened his ability to fight back. All of that was felt in seconds, right before Scorpion swung his stinger back around and pulled Spidey out of the stasis field, slamming him hard onto the floor.

"Leave him alone, you monsters!" Iron Fist defiantly shouted.

At this point, his spider-sense was spinning out of control, detecting danger in all directions, but the substance was coursing through him at rapid speed, immobilizing him entirely. He tried to lift himself up but felt a swift kick to his back to keep him down.

"Looks like he's got nowhere to run, boss," Shocker observed, chuckling.

"Have we prepared our escape?" Chameleon then asked.

Kingpin nodded.

"Our men are infiltrating the site on the other side of the city now. We'll have _**The Eidolon**_ prepped and ready for take off in no time."

"Wait, what?!" Wolfe angrily barked, "You're stealing _our_ ship?!"

"Of course," Chameleon acknowledged, "How else do you think we'll get through the Wakanda's defenses? Your ship is the fastest and most stealthy jet in the arsenal. It'll be smooth sailing all the way back to Manhattan."

"Bet! Just try to take that shit from us!" Firewalker shouted, "You ain't getting away with this!"

Beetle and Shocker came about and picked up Spidey by his arms. He held his head low, still immobile from the neurotoxin, with his feet dragging across the floor.

"I've always been curious," Kingpin then darkly spoke, "…of **who** this Spider-Man _really_ was…"

"Let's unmask him!" Scorpion demanded, "I want to know who's had the guts to give us all this trouble for years!"

Peter could hear the anger and rage in each of their voices. At first, he was worried. He had tried so hard to conceal his identity for years. He knew that Chameleon knew. He knew that the H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers knew. But, the other villains?

"Get ready for disappointment," Chameleon pompously laughed.

Kingpin slowly approached Spidey and smirked at the web-slinger. He reached out with his massive hands and ripped the mask off his head, revealing his face. Fisk's expression turned to disgust once he realized who he was.

"It's… it's just a kid," Vulture observed, "A **kid** has been thwarting our plans since the beginning?"

"It's just not _any_ kid," Kingpin corrected him, "This is **Peter Parker**. He used to work for that fool Jameson at the Bugle."

"I _knew_ you looked familiar," Scorpion chuckled, "You should've kept your nose out of our affairs, kid. Now, you're going to pay for it."

Slowly regaining movement in his upper body, Peter looked up at Kingpin. He expressed slight anger at him, expressing defiance. Unexpectedly, Fisk swung his right fist and punched him across the face, _hard_.

It was one of the hardest punches Peter's ever taken, feeling as though he had just gotten the daylights knocked right out of him.

However, it didn't stop there.

A left swing, another right swing, left, right, left. Fisk unleashed his physical fury upon the young webslinger.

"Peter…" Tiger lamented, "…please… stop!"

"You're going to kill him!" Luke shouted, "Leave him alone!"

"Just you wait until I get out of this!" Harry angrily threatened.

He then felt his nose crunch broken and blood began streaming out of it. Once he saw this, Chameleon walked up and grabbed Fisk's left arm before he had a chance to swing it again.

"That's enough, Mr. Fisk. We'll have the rest of our journey back to hurt him."

Kingpin complied. He straightened his suit out and took a step back.

Peter, bruised and bloodied, lowered his head down, and closed his eyes.

"Take him away," Chameleon calmly ordered.

Beetle and Shocker dragged Peter away, exiting through a rear vault-like door on the far-side of the chamber. After they exited, the team was left without their Spider-Man.

"What about _them?"_ Vulture asked about the others trapped in the stasis field.

"Dispose of them. Cave them in."

"With pleasure," Scorpion eagerly obeyed.

Chameleon ordered the rest of the H.Y.D.R.A. enclave to exit the chamber and they complied, beginning to exit through the chamber's main entrance where the team had entered through, back into the mines. The four of them stayed, watching as they all left.

"You're not going to get away with this," Nova warned them.

"There's enough heroes in this city to destroy you all," Fox confidently added.

"And the communications block will prevent them from knowing about _any_ of this," Kingpin kindly retorted, pointing at a massive satellite-dish-like machine attached to the ceiling of the chamber.

"Don't worry. You won't feel a thing as all of this comes crashing down on you," Chameleon assured them.

Suddenly, Vulture twitched his head towards the front exit of the chamber. He pressed a button on his visor and began scanning the front exit.

"What is it, Toomes?" Kingpin inquired.

"There's a heat signature sprinting through the mines."

"Heat signature?" Scorpion skeptically questioned.

Out of nowhere, gunfire erupted in the tunnels outside the exit. H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers were firing on _something_ , or _someone_ sporadically in all directions. They were shouting amongst themselves, trying to corner their opponent. But, after a few seconds, they were running _away_ from whatever was attacking them, back into the chamber.

"What's going on here?!" Chameleon angrily asked his men, but they ignored him as they huddled into a defensive line next to the stasis platform.

"I'll check it out," Scorpion irritably stated, rushing towards the exit.

But, before he could reach it, a figure appeared from the darkness of the mines.

 **Black Panther**.

He marched towards them with his claws withdrawn.

"Well, well, well… I didn't _expect_ his majesty to come. I would've cleaned this place up," Chameleon sarcastically taunted, unsurprised.

He slowly approached them, seeing that the heroes were trapped in the stasis field. Chameleon ordered the stasis field to strengthen, keeping them from talking again, but T'Challa nodded a them a gesture of assurance that everything was going to be okay.

"You have **no** business of being here in Wakanda," he firmly and loudly stated to them.

"We understand," Chameleon coyly answered, "We are leaving **at once** , your majesty."

"Why are you here? Why are you after Spider-Man?"

"We just wanted to talk to them. They will be alright."

"You speak lies, Mr. Smerdyakov."

"And you're here all alone, aren't you? Where's your royal guard?"

Subtly, Kingpin and Chameleon began to slowly inch towards the rear exit of the chamber, while Vulture and Scorpion surrounded him. A small number of H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers detached from their defensive line and exited out of the chamber.

T'Challa glanced over at the stasis platform, eyeballing a small terminal that controlled the field. He knew his best chance was to release his fellow heroes, but that would risk losing time and having the others escape.

"The Black Panther is more than capable of handling his own," he assured them.

"Are you willing to bet your hide on that?" Scorpion snidely asked.

Black Panther nodded and swiftly sprung into action, side-stepping towards the terminal and slashing his claws across the machinery. In that moment, H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers unleashed a volley of gunfire at the esteemed monarch, but the bullets ricocheted off the vibranium material, causing it to glow a purple tone in the areas hit, which built up the kinetic energy inside the material of his suit.

"Kill him!" Kingpin ordered, retreating through the exit alongside Chameleon.

"Hail Hydra!" the soldiers war-cried in unison.

Vulture took flight and began whirling around the large chamber while Scorpion closed in and began lunging his stinger at Black Panther, attempting to pierce his suit and infect him with his neurotoxin.

"Just stand still! Freeze!"

"One thing you should know about me: I **never freeze**."

He dodged another lunge of the stinger and grabbed the tail connected to it, pulling on it hard and drawing Scorpion close enough for him to deliver a huge slash across his chest, tearing through and drawing blood.

"Argh!" he winced in pain.

The villain then jumped backwards and onto the far wall to avoid another hit while he accessed his suit's damage.

Finally, at that moment, the stasis field lost power and the team fell down, finally able to move in motion. H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers ceased their fire and began taking defensive positions within the chamber behind whatever they could find to use as cover.

"They're loose!" one soldier cried out, "What do we do?!"

"Captain, what do we do now?!"

Deadpool, once on his feet, withdrew his dual katanas.

"I'll tellyou what you're gonna do! You're going get brutally **_unalived!"_**

He sprinted towards them, blades held high, and jumped onto the H.Y.D.R.A. squads, slicing and dicing them in a flurry of bloody attacks. Half of them began to run away once they saw the bloodshed.

"Run! Bullets can't kill him!" one of them shouted in fear, "Don't engage!"

Deadpool didn't give them the chance to run far before he chased after them to cut them down.

"Are you guys okay?" T'Challa quickly asked once the team recovered their mobile functions.

"Great, but… we got to get to web-head!" Nova mustered to say once he stood up, "Where'd they take him?!"

"Wait, Phantom's still out!" Fox pointed out, rushing over to her fellow specter.

The specter was still lying face down on the platform, still knocked out from the pain the electromagnetic field caused him.

Suddenly, they heard a bird-like screech echo above them.

"Watch out!" Iron Fist loudly warned.

Vulture swooped down and flung a string of sharp feather-like projectiles at them. They got out of the way in time, nearly getting sliced up. As Vulture flew back towards the ceiling, Scorpion began shooting acid at them from his stinger while he was still on the wall, forcing them to retreat back towards the front entrance of the chamber.

Wolfe crouched down and picked up Phantom, sprinting back with the rest of the team while Firewalker dissipated into smoke to provide them cover for escape. Deadpool ran back with them too, ceasing his onslaught on the H.Y.D.R.A. troops.

"We can't run back now!" Tiger anxiously pointed out, "T'Challa, they're taking Peter to **The Eidolon** , where they plan to escape and take him back to **Reaper**! That's what they're here for!"

"Are you certain?" he actively asked.

She nodded, along with the others.

He subtly sighed and peeked over and up, beyond the rocky frame of the entrance and glanced at the comm blocker. It had a green beam circling around in a centrifuge-like motion, which indicated its operationality. He tried to find a way to destroy it, but Vulture was flying too close to it. They'd have to take care of _him_ first before taking a shot at it.

"First, we need to take _that_ comm blocker down. We can raise Hill and the rest of R.O.G.U.E. and Wakanda once we do so!"

"Awww shit, that's it?" Firewalker chuckled, "I can take care of that for you, ya majesty."

"It won't be that simple," Fox pointed out, "We're going to have to divvy our strength to be able to take down Scorpion, Vulture, _and_ the rest of H.Y.D.R.A. that's still in the chamber."

"Agreed," T'Challa approved.

"Well, Danny and I can take care of those H.Y.D.R.A. guys. They're not that tough anyway," Luke earnestly suggested.

"Oooh, let me join!" Deadpool happily asked, "I was _just_ chopping them up back there! Did you not see?!

"Sure, Deadpool," Luke sighed, "I was hoping to _not_ get blood on my suit, though."

"I can take Harry and Firewalker and we can see about downing Vulture," Nova contemplated, "Since, you know, we're all capable of flying."

"Right, then myself, White Tiger, White Fox, and the Wolfe will see about dispatching Scorpion," T'Challa finally concluded their plan.

"What about Phantom?" Fox apprehensively asked.

He glanced over and saw Wolfe lower their leader onto a soft slab of rock at a safe distance from the entrance.

"We shall come back for him."

"We _better not_ leave him," she sternly emphasized.

"Do not worry. We won't."

" **I'll** stay here with him," Wolfe announced, " _Somebody's_ got to look out for him."

Fox smiled hearing this from him.

"Very well, then we have a plan. Let us execute."

* * *

 _Meanwhile, outside the mines…_

 **Beetle** , **Shocker** , **Chameleon** , and **Kingpin** escorted the wounded Peter Parker out of the mines, having escaped through another air shaft that opened to a makeshift landing pad, where a disguised Quinjet was readily available for them with a pair of H.Y.D.R.A. pilots ready to fly it.

Once inside, they strapped Parker onto one of the cots. The aircraft then took flight, making its way towards the in-land shipyard where they had housed The Eidolon for repairs and upgrades.

"Damn it!" Chameleon's voice burst through the cabin, "How did we not see the _Black Panther_ come after us?!"

"I don't _know_ ," Shocker feigned ignorance, glancing at Beetle, "Ask the guy who installed the motion sensors at all the entrances."

Beetle remained silent.

"It doesn't matter," Kingpin sharply declared, "We have what the Reaper wants. We need to proceed with the plan."

"What about Gargan and Toomes?" Shocker quickly inquired, "Are we just going to _leave_ them?"

"Sacrifices _must_ be made, Mr. Schultz," Chameleon retorted, "If they do their job right, then we _will_ see them again."

"We should've stayed back there to help out. It's not right leaving them both to deal with all of _them_."

"What? And lose valuable time?" Kingpin haughtily laughed, "You're dumber than you sell yourself to be."

"Watch it, fatso. I'm not the one who lost his grip on an entire city because of some **kid**."

This caused Kingpin to inch closer to Shocker, who gladly obliged, almost signaling a physical confrontation between them, but Chameleon quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation.

"Now, now. We'll have plenty of time to bicker _after_ we steal the ship. Let's accomplish _that_ much, shall we?"

"You just watch your back, Fisk. I'll shock your face off a million ways."

Kingpin simply ignored him, glancing back at the web-slinger.

"How much longer until we're there?" Chameleon firmly asked his pilots.

"A little way, sir. There is increased air traffic over the city. We will need to go around."

"Make it quick. We don't have much time."

* * *

 _Back at the chamber…_

Scorpion and the remaining enclave of about fifty-so H.Y.D.R.A. troops lined up in an offensive position towards the main entrance of the chamber, where they knew the heroes were hiding just around the corner to the entrance. Vulture hovered overhead with a payload of projectiles ready to fire upon them.

"Come out, come out!" Scorpion loudly taunted, "If you don't, our men here will blast you all to kingdom come! Best you come out now!"

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke emerged from the corner, and filled the entire entrance to the chamber, blinding Scorpion and the H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers.

"Don't worry," Vulture called out through their radio chat, "I see heat signatures coming your way."

"Good! Let them come to me!" Scorpion sadistically expressed.

Suddenly, a beam of bluish light shot through the smoke, tearing off a piece of Vulture's left wing. In confusion, he accidentally released the payload over the H.Y.D.R.A. troops, killing some of them in the process. Just then, the **Iron Patriot** swiftly emerged out and unleashed a powerful blast of energy against Vulture's chestplate, knocking him backwards hard onto the far wall.

 **Nova** followed in and began engaging Vulture. But, the old villain still had tricks up his sleeve. He shielded himself by wrapping his wings around him and deflecting Nova's energy blasts.

"Now!" T'Challa ordered.

Suddenly, **Luke** , **Iron Fist** , and **Deadpool** all rushed forward out of the smoke and began openly engaging the H.Y.D.R.A. troops. They watched in horror as the bullets simply bounced off Luke's exposed skin and sank through Deadpool's flesh without any harm.

"They're not going down!" one of the soldiers cried, "Sir! We can't…"

Deadpool swung his left katana forward and decapitated him.

"Sssshhhhh! Just let it happen, guys!" the merc tormented.

"Sir, we're getting slaughtered!" another one called out, looking for Scorpion's leadership, but he was cut down all the same.

"Shit," Scorpion stammered, "Shit, shit, shit!"

He turned around and began running away towards the rear vault-like entrance, but **Black Panther** _and_ **White Tiger** then emerged from the smoke together, both of them taking a hard combined swipe right across Scorpion's exposed back, causing him to fall face-forward onto the hard and rocky ground.

Quickly recovering, he tried to lunge his stinger right at Tiger, who was the one closest to him, but **White Fox** then apparated out of thin-air and swung both her katanas at the same time, and cut off his stinger tail with exact precision.

"Argh!" Scorpion cried in pain, "God damn it, no! You… you bitch!"

He quickly assessed his suit's damage and tried to reintegrate another strategy of attack, but at a moment too late. They closed in and began engaging him in hand-to-hand combat. While White Tiger aimed high, slicing the electrical wiring that lined his arms, Black Panther aimed low, cutting off the neurotoxin supply that was connected to his legs, causing them to splatter out into the insides of his suit.

Finally, Fox jumped forward and kicked Scorpion right across his face, knocking him out cold.

"Stay down," Tiger instructed him.

Around them, Deadpool, Luke, and Iron Fist were dispatching H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers left and right. Luke, unaffected by their bullets, closed in and kept them from firing on Danny, who charged up his chi into his fist and laid down the full force of his power onto the ground, causing several of them to fall onto their backs at once.

"Allow me!" Black Panther suddenly requested.

They all looked over and saw his majesty rushing towards a group of soldiers. They had all lined up and shot several strings of fire at the Black Panther, but each shot caused his suit to glow bright purple, until finally…

He jumped up into the air and slammed his fist down onto the ground, unleashing the built-up kinetic energy, and blasting them all several feet in different directions, knocking them out effectively.

Up in the air, Vulture was steadily evading the combined powers of the other three. While Nova kept blasting columns of energy at him, he'd use the powerful alloy on the backsides of his wings to deflect them, using the same tactic to block Harry's attacks. Firewalker tried to throw fireballs at him, but he was too quick, and his suit was also fire resistant.

"You're going to have to try _a lot_ harder than that to stop me!" Vulture cackled.

He took aim at the heroes still on the ground and unleashed another payload of sharp projectiles at them, forcing them to dodge it as he circled them.

"What now?!" Harry asked the other two, "He's super sprightly for his age!"

"No kidding!" Firewalker concurred, "We've got to outsmart this old bird, y'all."

"Outsmart?" Nova repeated, looking up at the comm blocker, "I think I have a plan, guys."

"Let's hear it, homie."

 ** _A few seconds later…_**

Luke and Deadpool did their best to deflect the sharp projectiles _away_ from the others while Vulture made another pass over them, laughing irritatingly in feigned victory as he did so. But, suddenly, he heard Nova call his name.

"Yooo hoo! **Vulture**! Yeah you! You old bald-headed freak! Why don't you come over here and pick on people who can actually fly?!"

Toomes sighed, turning his trajectory towards Nova.

"I'm going to get rid of _you_ and all your pathetic friends!" Vulture shouted back, prepping another payload.

"Oh no! Whatever shall I do?!"

Nova then hovered upwards rapidly into Firewalker's cloud of smoke that surrounded the ceiling. Vulture obliged, following him right into the thick of it.

"Fool! I have a heat-sensor on my visor! This smoke _will not_ stop me!"

"Oh yeah?" Harry's voice was closely heard.

Vulture glanced to his side and saw the Iron Patriot hovering next to him. The visor lifted to expose Harry's face as he grinned.

"Let me take care of that heat-sensor for you."

Harry then used his suit's AI to hack into Vulture's visor and shut off the heat-sensing feature.

"W-What?! H-H-How did you do that?!"

"I don't know!" Harry honestly answered, "Let me ask Mr. Stark how he does it next time I see him! See ya, Vulture!"

He halted his flight upwards next to Vulture, allowing the old villain to continue flying upwards through the smoke, unable to see Nova.

"Argh! You won't get away with this! Let me… _What!_ W-Why can't I move my suit?! I'm stuck! I…"

"You hacked his suit too?!" Nova, laughing, asked.

Harry simply nodded.

The smoke began to dissipate, revealing that he was flying straight towards the comm blocker positioned steadily on the ceiling. Vulture's eyes widened right before he made impact with the blocker, causing it to violently explode once the grenades on his suit smashed against the metal.

"Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Firewalker cheerily expressed, watching the fireworks.

Their victory was short, however, as the entire chamber began to rumble and shake violently. The explosion had de-stabilized the cave, causing rocks to begin falling from the sides of the chamber and from the ceiling itself. There wasn't much time left before the entire place collapsed on them.

"We've got to move, guys!" Tiger ordered.

"You don't got to tell us twice! Come on, people! Let's go!" Firewalker shouted, adding his voice.

Wolfe, who was still guarding Phantom, picked up his body, heaved him over his shoulder, and sprinted towards the rest of the group. He stopped them before they could exit through the main exit to the chamber.

"Mines are blocked off that way!" he pointed out, "We _need_ to get that vault door open!"

The rear exit, where they had hauled Spidey out off, was sealed tight, with no way to get it to open. They ran back towards it and Luke tried to get it to open with his might, but it wouldn't budge. Harry tried using his energy beams to melt it down, but it stayed unaffected.

"This door is made of vibranium!" T'Challa angrily pointed out.

On the side of the door was a terminal where any of the Sinister Six could input their credentials to get it to open. Nova quickly walked over it and began inputting different passwords to get it to open.

"We're running out of time, guys!" Deadpool worriedly expressed, looking at the bigger rocks that was beginning to fall on them.

"I'm trying, damn it!" Nova yelled back.

Suddenly, a figure approached them from behind. Fox, Tiger, and T'Challa were the first to notice and jumped into a defensive stance. It was **Scorpion** , bloodied and bruised. He was holding his left side, which looked like it was stained red with his blood.

Gently, he pushed past them, and began typing away words in the password bar of the terminal. He coughed up a wad of blood as he did so. As he submitted the password, the doors seamlessly slid open, and he collapsed onto the wall next to the terminal, resting his back against it.

"Sweet Jesus, hallelujah! Let's go, y'all!" Firewalker, without hesitation, urged everyone.

"Wait!" T'Challa called out, "He saved us! We must get him out!"

"No," Scorpion croaked, "Just go. Just go…"

"Why are you suddenly the good guy?" Tiger curiously asked, "Why go to all this trouble?!"

"I just… I just wanted to see my family again…"

"Well, stop lying there!" T'Challa ordered, "We can get you out of here and…"

"…they're _already dead_. _"_

A stunned silence followed his last words.

"Just go…" he repeated, "… please… just leave me here."

Without another word, the others got to their feet and ran out of the chamber. T'Challa stayed a few seconds longer and nodded a gesture of thank you at the fallen villain. With his majesty's departure, the chamber fully caved in around him, killing off any remaining H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers that were still around.

Mac Gargan closed his eyes as a massive rock fell upon him.

* * *

 _A while later...at the shipyard…_

Chameleon slipped into his Agent 22 disguise and approached the docking officer within the massive hangar bay at the Wakandan shipyard outside of the city. Kingpin, Shocker, and Beetle waited inside the Quinjet for them to get the go-ahead. They all looked up at the immense size of The Eidolon.

Slipping in and out of consciousness as Scorpion's toxin began to wear off, Peter was able to overhear the conversation Chameleon was having with the docking officer, about ten feet away outside.

"…are you _sure_ you're authorized to retrieve this craft, sir?"

"I am _completely_ sure!" Chameleon snapped, "Either you give me this craft now or risk a diplomatic incident between R.O.G.U.E. and your country!"

"Okay, okay! Very well, sir. Please, calm down!"

"Have your men working on these upgrades cease immediately! I want anybody working inside to exit the craft immediately as well."

"At once, sir."

Chameleon returned to the Quinjet and gestured that they would be able to enter the craft shortly. Once they were clear, he ordered the docking personnel to leave the hangar bay to themselves. With Chameleon's "credentials", he was able to mandate it as so without question or doubt from the workers. However, Peter knew it was a matter of time before they were discovered.

Shocker and Beetle dragged him across the hangar bay floor and up the rear ramp of The Eidolon, where they entered the elevator that took them to the emptied command and control deck. H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers appeared in two more Quinjets on the outside and marched into the ship, taking control of specialist terminals and operating stations.

They kept Peter tied up on the command and control deck, where Chameleon kept an eye on him.

Chameleon urged his men to hurry and prep the ship for launch. They had studied the schematics through the hacked information they stole from R.O.G.U.E., so it was only a little bit of a time before they got it to fly and get out of Wakanda.

"How much longer until we can leave?" he sternly asked one of his specialists.

"About twenty minutes, sir. The Wakandans had kept the ship's flight system under a repair state. It'll take us a little bit to get it out of that state."

"You've got _ten_ minutes."

"Y-Yes, sir."

* * *

 _Back at Shuri's lab…_

Out of nowhere, the communications across the entire city was restored. As Shuri was still trying to trace the location from her brother, a message reached her terminal. It was T'Challa. She glanced back at Mr. Stark and Mr. Banner, who were still trying to figure out what was going on throughout the city.

She opened the communications link.

"Brother? Are you okay?!"

"Yes, I am fine, Shuri! (static)… are on our way back through the mines! I have Specter Haven and (static)… with me! Alert Director Hill of the H.Y.D.R.A. presence here in the city! (static) …stop them at the shipyard! They are trying to get ahold of **The Eidolon**! Specter Haven's ship!"

"Did I just hear 'H.Y.D.R.A.' and 'in the city' in the same sentence?" Stark sarcastically asked, "How the _hell_ did they survive the invasion?"

"Shit," Banner sighed, "Not these guys again. Don't they ever get the hint that they suck at what they try to do?"

"They kidnapped Mr. Parker! Stop them before they can escape!" T'Challa added.

"I'm on it, brother!"

She closed the link and turned to the two other scientists.

"Mr. Stark, Mr. Banner, my brother needs your help."

"Get Hill on the line, Bruce," Stark, without another word, requested.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on it."

* * *

 _Over the skies of Birnin Zana…_

Once they escaped the mines, they jumped on the first Royal Talon Fighter that they could find on the landing pads close to Shuri's lab and flew at top velocity towards the shipyard where The Eidolon was stored. Black Panther wasted no time in alerting the Wakandan Royal Guard and the authorities to the presence of H.Y.D.R.A. in the city and to route all personnel towards the shipyard. R.O.G.U.E. was quickly alerted as well, and soon enough, the entire city knew what was going on.

Wolfe was trying to wake Phantom back up, but he was still unconscious, albeit breathing normally. Fox knelt next to him on the seat they had laid him across and observed him.

"Wake up, you stubborn fool!" Wolfe harshly demanded, slapping him across the mask with his heavy paw.

"That won't help, Wolfe," Fox advised.

"I don't understand. He's gotten shocked by this electromagnetic bullshit before. How come he's out of the fight this long now?"

"It may have been a strong surge of it," Harry suggested.

"He's also been avoiding it for years," she added, "Tonto's not as resistant to it as he would be if he was exposed to it for short periods."

"Damn. I remember when he nearly died during our fight with Taskmaster years ago," Luke briefly reminisced, "I don't blame him for avoiding something that can easily kill him."

"Peter would've died if Phantom wasn't there," Ava recounted in a soft and sad tone, "I hope he wakes up."

Black Panther suddenly sounded off from the pilot's seat.

"We are almost there, everyone. Be ready."

Wolfe stopped trying to wake him up and simply sat back into his seat next to the specter's unconscious body. Fox, however, softly placed her hands around his face, trying in some way, shape, or form, to connect with him mentally and wake him up that way.

It was no use.

Briefly sighing, she stood up and sat opposite of where Wolfe was sitting, and simply observed him, waiting for him to wake up, waiting for him to spring back into action as he always does.

* * *

 _Moments later, inside The Eidolon…_

"Well?" Chameleon impatiently asked, "Are we ready to depart yet, or not?"

"We are ready, sir," a specialist nervously answered.

"Good. Activate our engines and begin our ascent out of this shipyard."

"On it, sir."

Suddenly, an urgent transmission overrode communications protocol and a clear image of Director Hill showed up on the commander's terminal. She slightly squinted her eyes once she realized who was behind the terminal.

" **Dmitri Smerdyakov**. What a surprise to see that the **Chameleon** , of all people, has evaded the Reaper's Invasion and has survived all the way to Wakanda."

He wolfishly grinned.

"I am not without my element of disguise, Director Hill. As much as I'd like to chat with a lovely woman such as yourself, I have no time for it. So, if you would excuse me, I have a **spider** to deliver to a certain conqueror."

"So, it's true. You _are_ working for the Reaper."

"This war will end with the destruction of civilization, director. Surely, you can see this. If I can guarantee my cohorts and I a safe passage into this new world he offers, then I'll do what I _must_ to do so."

"You're a coward. Instead of fighting against us you should be fighting **with** us."

"And then what? Risk being annihilated at the first battle? Please. You insult my intelligence. We had our faith placed with Sitwell and now that the fool's gone and lost his grip on S.H.I.E.L.D. **H.Y.D.R.A.** will do what it must to ensure its survival."

"Very well," she simply answered, "Go then. Fight for your master. But, the spider's staying **right** here, where he belongs."

He chuckled.

"You amuse me, Director Hill. You are as charming as you are beautiful. Alas, I have the most powerful ship in your arsenal at my disposal. I have the ability to escape Wakanda and leave no trace for you to follow."

"Oh yeah?"

He nodded.

"Well, you're right about that. But, do you have a **Hulk**?"

"A what?"

Suddenly, a loud thud shook the entire ship, with a monster-like roar echoing through the lower deck of the ship. He quickly pulled up a camera feed and saw a giant raging **Hulk** rampage through the deck, having entered through the open rear ramp that hadn't been raised yet. The feed cut out when the monster picked up a H.Y.D.R.A. trooper that tried to stop him and hurled him at the camera.

"What the hell?"

"Good luck escaping Wakanda now, Chameleon."

With her final taunt, Hill cut the feed.

"Sir, the Hulk is tearing through the engineering deck!" one of the specialists alerted him.

"Thank you, _Captain Obvious_! Get us up in the air! Let's get the hell out of here!"

"What about the rear-ramp?! We can't close it! It's been damaged!"

"Leave it open, you fools! Just get us out of here, **NOW**! Hopefully that thing will fall right out upon our exit!"

The Eidolon's rear wing engines came to life and began lifting the entire aircraft upwards, setting its sights onto the exit of the hangar bay. It continued to shake and rumble while the Hulk continued his destruction.

Then, the main elevator opened up and Beetle, Kingpin, and Shocker marched right in

"What's going on, Chameleon?" Shocker anxiously inquired.

"Other than the obvious," Beetle murmured.

"Everything's under control," he assured them, "We just have an **Avenge** r in the engineering deck is all."

"That doesn't seem very 'under control'," Kingpin remarked.

The jet shifted forward and exited the hangar bay, heading straight up into the brightening morning skies. As it gained altitude, a massive blockade of R.O.G.U.E. heli-carrier ships came into view far in the horizon.

"Shit," Shocker subtly commented, "Chameleon, I hope you have a plan."

"Of course, I do. Slam the ship right through that blockade, men!"

The jet gained speed, flying towards an open gap between the ships at a far away distance.

"They won't be fool enough to fire on us. We have Peter Parker!"

"I hope you're right," Kingpin skeptically expressed, "Because… if you're not."

Suddenly, they caught a glimpse of a what appeared to be a missile heading straight towards them. As it got closer, they realized it wasn't a missile, it was **Iron Man**.

He shot off several beams of energy towards the ship, but the outer shield that was installed by the Wakandan engineers kept it from doing any harm.

"Heh. See? They are no match," Chameleon confidently laughed.

Iron Man flew past the jet and turned around to follow it as it approached the blockade, several miles away. Behind him, a Royal Talon Fighter came up and flew past him, in pursuit of The Eidolon.

* * *

 _Inside the Royal Talon fighter…_

"I am sorry, Stark," Black Panther jokingly lamented over the radio chat, "We will get there before you. You may want to make your suit faster."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get killed, _your highness_."

T'Challa chuckled hearing this remark.

"You sure you guys can stop them?" Hill asked over the radio chat, "Once they get past the blockade, the jet's advanced cloaking mechanism will be next to impossible to trace. We can't let him get through."

"Don't worry, Hill," Ava assured her, "We're going to get back Peter _and_ the ship."

Hill settled for Ava's confidence and notified them that they'd maintain in close radio contact.

"Alright, homies!" Firewalker happily expressed, "Let's get our boy and kick some supervillain booty!"

"I'm down with that!" Nova agreed, "You ready for this, Danny? Luke?"

"The Iron Fist and Power Man will _not_ shy away from this fight!" Danny calmly, yet fiercely, stated.

"Good. We are coming up now!" T'Challa reported.

They saw the rear ramp of The Eidolon opened, exposing the small hangar and engineering level, where the **Hulk** was ripping right through, trying to get into the elevator shaft.

"It looks like Banner's having some fun."

Just then, the jet buckled itself by rapidly shifting upwards and downwards, shaking the Hulk and causing him to fall right out of the rear ramp and out into the city.

"Ah. Well, that is problematic. I hope he does not destroy half the city."

"Yoooo, is he going to be okay?!" Firewalker worriedly asked.

"He's the Hulk," Nova reminded him, "He'll be fine through a nuclear blast."

"I am going to attempt to land this thing inside that hangar! Hang on tight, everybody!"

T'Challa maneuvered the Royal Talon jet slowly into the hangar. The hull began to scrape against the inner walls as well as the ramp itself. But, at last, it was able to a landing. He then opened up the ramp that opened frontwards from the jet and prompted everyone to disembark.

"What about Phantom?" Deadpool wondered, "We just going to leave him there like a sack of potatoes?"

"Did you just call him a _vegetable_?" Luke asked.

"…Maybe. What's it to you?"

"I'll carry him," Wolfe sighed, "If this bird loses its grip and falls right out, he'll be angry that we didn't bring him along."

He lifted the specter up off his back and threw him back over his shoulder.

They cautiously walked out onto the engineering deck from the ramp. Bodies of dead H.Y.D.R.A. soldiers were scattered about with pieces of debris sticking up from the damaged parts of the deck. They made their way towards the elevator shaft that connected all the decks together, slowly approaching it.

Until, just as they were a few feet away, the doors opened, and **Shocker** emerged.

"Well, well, well, look at the stowaways we got here!" he chuckled, "Time to unload them!"

"Everybody, get behind cover!" Luke shouted, knowing full-well what was going to happen next.

They quickly fell back, hiding behind anything that was solid and connected to the jet. They peered up and saw Shocker supercharge his bracers and whip them forward to unleash a devastating electric shockwave that crumpled the Royal Talon fighter like a piece of paper and threw it out of the jet's hangar.

"I _knew_ it was a good idea _not_ to leave him in there!" Wolfe gladly expressed, keeping Phantom on his shoulder.

"I'm tired of you heroes always messing up our plans! Why don't you just die?!"

Shocker unleashed another shockwave from the entrance to the elevator. This time, it caught Deadpool and Iron Fist, sending them both flying out of the rear ramp.

"Oh boy, here I go again!" Deadpool cried as he fell out.

"Ah, crap!" Nova sighed, "I'll go get them!"

He took flight and flew out from the rear ramp, catching speed and rushing to pick up Danny and Deadpool before they fell several stories to their death. Well, at least just Danny… Deadpool would be fine.

The others stayed put, trying to inch their way closer to Shocker as he continued to unleash shockwave after shockwave, each one more devastating than the last. It was beginning to tear the entire deck apart, having ripped off the rear ramp entirely.

"You owe us a new ship after we're done, bitch!" Firewalker angrily shouted at Shocker.

He simply laughed, sending another shockwave that nearly sent Firewalker falling out as well.

"You're a fool! You're _all_ fools!"

Wolfe gently placed Phantom down near the edge of one of the walls they were taking cover next to. He did so in order to withdraw his rifle and try to take aim at Shocker's head to try and de-commission him for good.

"Got a good shot, homie?"

"Shut it, Drake. You'll make me lose my focus."

Shocker, however, quickly noticed and sent a smaller blast that tore Wolfe's rifle right out of his hands. In anger, Wolfe rushed out towards him to cut him down head-on. But, Shocker whipped his bracer forward and blasted Wolfe several feet backwards. He nearly flew out of the jet, but Harry reached out and grabbed the specter's boot and pushed him downwards under cover.

Having had enough of them hiding, Shocker walked forward and began blowing away their sources of cover. Shock after shock, his unrelenting power was keeping them at bay. Black Panther tried to catch him off-guard, but the padded villain caught him just as he attacked and blasted him against the hull of the ship.

Fox glanced over at Phantom, who was still unconscious. She knew she had to act before Shocker, who had the advantage, blew them all right out with no chance to get back into the jet before they flew off with Peter.

She vanished and swiftly made her away towards Shocker. Gripping her katanas at the ready, she tried to pounce on him and slash his bracers, but he had sensed her come near, and turned around just in time to blast her with a smaller shockwave, pinning her against the wall she was hiding closest to.

She glanced down, trying to find Phantom's body, but couldn't find it. Did he fall out? Oh no! If he did then who was going to catch him?! She squirmed to try to release herself from the constant shockwave that was being emitted from Shocker's bracers, but wasn't able to move.

"If you all don't come out, I'm going to blast this one into oblivion!" he angrily threatened.

"No, you won't."

He turned to see Phantom reappear in front of the elevator.

"Let her go."

"Ha!" Shocker chuckled, "What are _you_ going to do about it?!"

Phantom exposed his bracers, similar to Shocker's and supercharged them in the same manner he initially did when he first attacked them.

"Wait… what are you doing?"

Without another warning, Phantom blasted an electrical surge out from his bracers, tearing through his padded suit, and electrocuting Shocker. Having been freed from his shock control, Fox landed on her feet and looked over at Phantom, who kept his gaze locked on Shocker.

Luke took the initiative, stepped out of cover, and punched Shocker as hard as he could on his chest, pushing the villain out of the rear ramp and down into a fall towards the city.

"Good riddance," Luke darkly murmured, "That guy was getting _really_ annoying."

Black Panther quickly recovered from the blast and regrouped with the rest of the team.

"We've not much time left before this jet reaches the blockade! We must get to the upper level _now!"_

"I see that they've stolen our ship," Phantom calmly observed, sighing.

"Yeah? I lost my rifle. You should've let me have a few words with that bastard, Phantom."

"You'll get your chance, Wolfe. Now…"

He turned around and opened the elevator shaft, gesturing for everyone to get in. It was spacious enough for whoever was remaining. Fox entered last, taking a moment to slightly smile at Phantom.

"Tonto, I didn't need saving, you know."

"I beg to differ," he slyly answered.

Nova radioed in last minute to let them know that Danny and Deadpool were okay, but that the jet was flying way too fast for them to catch up. With that in mind, they let the elevator raise them up to the command and control deck, to where only Chameleon, Kingpin, and Beetle were left to fight.

* * *

 _At the bridge of_ _ **Justice I**_ _…_

The unified R.O.G.U.E. blockade stood firm at the edges of Wakanda's airspace. The smaller, agile Eidolon sped towards them, rapidly closing the distance. Specialists on-board were trying to remote access The Eidolon's flight system to try and stop it, but since the H.Y.D.R.A. agents on-board knew what to disable and how to do so, there was little they could do.

Director Hill was adamant that they not open fire on the jet, knowing full-well they had people on-board. However, she had the Aven-Jet and the Milano on stand-by in the event they needed to take it down before it reached the blockade.

"It looks like Herman Schultz got knocked out of the jet," one of the specialists noted.

"Great, if only we can get a camera feed from the ship," Hill sighed, "Keep monitoring it. How much longer until it reaches us?"

"With its speed? About fifteen minutes."

Shortly after, a squadron of Royal Talon fighters followed behind The Eidolon, fast in pursuit, but keeping their distance. It was being led by **Okoye** and **Shuri.**

* * *

 _Seconds later, on the command and control deck of **The Eidolon** …_

The elevator landed on the primary deck of the jet and opened up. Beetle trained his electromagnetic emitter onto the team while a few of the H.Y.D.R.A. troops circled the entrance to the elevator, training their rifles upon the team. Kingpin stood nearby, glaring at them, and keeping his arms crossed.

At the far end, near the pilot's seat, **Chameleon** stood with a pistol trained on Peter, who was lying on the ground, still unconscious.

"Welcome to the party," Beetle darkly greeted.

"Let him go, Chameleon!" Tiger aggressively demanded, "We're not going to let you kidnap him just for him to be Reaper's prisoner!"

The master of disguise simply laughed.

"After all the trouble you've all caused us, I think we have full reason to wash the spider out."

Phantom cautiously stepped forward, holding a hand forward as a gesture of keeping the civility.

"Now, now, Dmitri. Let's keep this civil, shall we?"

"Agent Cruz. I'm pleased to see that you are _still_ alive."

"I wish I could say the same."

"Wait, wait," Firewalker interrupted, "Hold up. Y'all know each other?!"

"Yeah, we go way back. He was Taskmaster's Soviet connection. That is, until he decided working with his half-brother Kraven was a more lucrative venture."

"W-Wait, _you_ worked with that monster?" Tiger angrily asked, gritting her teeth.

"Yes. He paid more than S.H.I.E.L.D.," Chameleon chuckled.

"I had my suspicion that your Agent 22 persona was just another ruse," Phantom continued, "I could sense it."

"Hmph. Yet, you were too stupid to actualize it, my old friend."

"Forget all of this, man," Luke spoke up, "Let's just fight through them, rescue Peter, and let Hill blow this ship up."

"Or, I can kill your friend now," Chameleon retorted, "Don't make any sudden moves. Reaper will either receive a dead or bruised spider. It doesn't matter to me."

"If you kill him…" Tiger began, "I'm going to rip that smirk right off your stupid face."

"Charming, my dear. But, pointless."

Phantom continued to approach, with Beetle keeping his finger on the trigger of the emitter, ready to fire at any moment.

"Then, allow me to offer an alternative. You let him go and **I'll** serve as his replacement. Take me instead."

Chameleon's expression changed to an interested one.

Fox tugged on Phantom's arm.

"Wait, tonto. What are you doing?" she worriedly whispered.

"A Spider for a Phantom?" Chameleon summarized the offer, "Reaper **does** want you, Cruz. I can see how this offer would benefit everyone."

"Please. Just let him go. I give you my word that I won't cause any trouble."

"You'd be willing to trade your life for that weasel?" Kingpin curiously asked, his voice deep and condescending.

"I would."

"You're not as wise as your so-called 'reputation' says of you."

"Perhaps. Yet, you're smaller than what people have said of _you."_

Fisk wasn't expressively amused by this comeback.

"Tonto, this is a bad idea. I don't think you should…"

"It's alright, Fox. It's alright," he calmly assured her.

Chameleon smirked, slightly nodding once he made his decision.

"Very well, Agent Cruz. I accept."

"Wait, Phantom, you can't do this, man," Luke pleaded, "You can't go at the Reaper alone!"

"He'll tear you up," Harry concurred, "There's got to be another way."

"They're right," Wolfe murmured, "He's going to kill you."

"I'm not going to let Peter leave Wakanda with them, and that's that. If I need to be the one to go, then so be it."

"Tonto, don't go. Please."

Phantom ignored her, simply walking forward towards Chameleon. Beetle followed behind him while half of the H.Y.D.R.A. agents kept their rifles trained on him. The rest of the team couldn't believe that he was doing this so nonchalantly. Did he have a plan up his sleeve? Was he going to try to parlay with Reaper?

Chameleon grinned as he watched his once friend-turned-adversary walk towards him in surrender. All for a young superhero.

Right before Phantom reached him, however, a H.Y.D.R.A. troop ran up to Chameleon and spoke in a thick South African accent.

"Sir, we have bogeys incoming from the front!"

"Wait, what?"

Chameleon turned his head to see a blue stream of energy racing towards the front of the cockpit fast.

"What the hell is that?"

Before he could figure it out, it broke right through the front glass pane. It was Nova, who was carrying Iron Fist _and_ Deadpool in his arms.

"Did ya miss me?!" Deadpool laughed, leaping forward and swinging his katanas at **Beetle**.

The electromagnetic emitter was slashed, forcing Beetle to resort to his melee weapon: a shock baton, to keep Deadpool at bay.

Iron Fist took advantage of the element of surprise and punched Chameleon straight through the jaw, causing him to drop his gun and fall flat onto the ground.

"Fire on them!" Kingpin angrily ordered the troops.

Bullet-fire erupted across the command and control deck, causing all sorts of chaos.

Luke jumped in-front of the team closest to the elevator and deflected the bullets with his chest. Firewalker blew a wall of fire in-front of Luke to both blind and toast any enemies that were directly in front.

With that window of opportunity, Fox and Wolfe vanished into thin air to maneuver _around_ the wall of fire and catch the soldiers off-guard, cutting them down after they sprang into action.

Once the wall of fire dissipated, Harry locked onto the remaining soldiers and activated a multi-beamed feature that shot several beams of energy all at once from his hidden shoulder weapons. It took down the remaining soldiers instantaneously.

Kingpin then charged at Luke, swinging hard fists left and right to try to both disorient and knock out the strong hero. They then locked arms as both of them try to hit the other. Black Panther and White Tiger assisted by trying to jump in and slash Kingpin's arms, but he bounced back and blocked their attacks, counterattacking, and throwing a table at them to knock them down.

On the other side of the deck, Deadpool and Beetle were locked in an epic katana vs. shock baton fight. They traversed around the deck, accidentally killing the H.Y.D.R.A. specialists as they walked by while they both violently tried to kill the other.

"You're a tough cookie, Beetle, you know that?!"

Beetle lunged the baton forward, narrowly missing the merc's side, ignoring his comment.

"I think you're on the wrong side, Beets. You need to fight with _us!_ Trust me! There ain't gonna be a market for us mercenaries if Lord Voldemort takes over the planet!"

"Who?" Beetle sternly asked.

"Oh wait, wrong universe."

Beetle then withdrew a combat knife from his bootstrap and dual-wielded both that and the shock baton to try and take down the merc using a flurry of swing-and-lunge attacks.

"You're really fast! Do you work out?! What's your regimen like?! Do you intake a lot of calories? Oh wait, you're a scrawny thing. You probably do a lot of cardio. Do you like cardio? I _hate_ cardio! I also have this like… killer cancer that's eating away at my lungs, so it hurts more than the average person."

"Don't you ever just shut up?!"

"Nah. I'm in this story for the comic relief."

Chameleon quickly recovered, massaging his jaw while fixing his gaze on Phantom, who was looking over Peter, kneeling next to him, to see if he was okay.

"Wake up, Parker. Come on, wake up!"

He grabbed the electromagnetic emitter and saw that it was still partially functioning, enough to get a shot out. He aimed it at Phantom and chuckled. The specter glanced over and stood back up to stare right back at his old adversary.

"You're naïve now as you were back when we worked together, Cruz. It's a shame that you still stand for the wrong ideals."

"I didn't realize you believed in genocide. You once told me that you hated being a Soviet because of what they did to your family. Is that no longer true?"

"The world has changed us all in the sixteen years you were gone. Death is necessary if we need this world to change again. In this case, both you _and_ the spider need to die."

"I won't let you hurt him."

"Then, I'll just have to settle with you then."

He activated the emitter, charging it up to fire it upon Phantom.

"I'll make sure to cut your heart out after this is over and present it to Reaper himself. Ta ta, my old friend."

Suddenly, a string of web shot out and grabbed the emitter, pulling it out of Chameleon's hands and throwing it out of the shattered window where Nova had blasted through. They both glanced over and saw Peter on his feet, firmly balling his fists, maskless.

"Nobody's kidnapping me today," he firmly announced to the both of them.

Tiger glanced over from across the deck and saw him standing up. Peter looked over and smiled, nodding in her direction. She couldn't help but smile back underneath her mask.

"Look, y'all!" Firewalker pointed, "Homie's back up! The Spider's back in the fight!"

"Impossible, I thought… Scorprion's toxin… it should've…"

"It's the same one he used before. I created an antitoxin years ago that helped me fight him. It took me a while to reach for it in my belt, but I got it."

"It doesn't matter, then!" Chameleon angrily shouted, "I'll just kill the both of you now and be done with it!"

He ran forward, readying a fist to fight, but Peter strung with him webbing and stuck him to the ceiling of the jet. He squirmed around trying to get out, but there was no way he was escaping.

"That was easy," Peter joked.

But, the fight wasn't over.

Beetle, fed up with Deadpool's antics, activated his jetpack and rushed at him. He tackled the merc at full-speed and dragged him out, shattering through a window, and tossed him out into the sky. Deadpool screamed as he fell and disappeared through the clouds.

"Good riddance…"

Suddenly, a black claw-like projectile flew up from the clouds and hooked him around his right boot, instantly pulling Beetle down.

"Grapple gun!" Deadpool happily shouted, "Didn't expect that, did ya?!"

He pulled Beetle closer as they both fell through the sky. The flying mercenary panicked, trying to undo the hook around his leg, but it was no use. By the time Deadpool pulled himself up, they were both wrestling with each other through the sky.

"Let go of me!"

"Nope! I want something from you and I'm here to take it by force if I have to!"

"No!"

Deadpool embraced him full-on, slipping the straps of his jetpack off of Beetle's back and from around his arms. Beetle was too late to react once he realized what Deadpool was trying to do. By the time he reacted, Deadpool slipped the jetpack on his back, detached the grapple, kicking Beetle off of him.

"Toodle loo, Beetle! Bon voyage! Auf Wiedersehen!"

He briefly watched the silent mercenary fall through the sky towards the city of Birnin Zana below before launching the jetpack back towards The Eidolon.

Back on the ship, they cornered **Kingpin** , with his back against the elevator entrance. With the H.Y.D.R.A. troops eliminated and the Sinister Six being no more, he was the last one left to oppose them.

Wolfe ran over to the pilot controls and stopped The Eidolon just a few hundred meters short of reaching the edge of the blockade. In just a few short seconds, the Royal Talon fighters surrounded the hovering Eidolon, with R.O.G.U.E. Quinjets supplementing them.

"It's over, Fisk," Peter confidently pointed out, "Just give up."

Taking a deep sigh, Fisk nodded, realizing his defeat. He leaned back against the elevator door and slouched down until he sat on the floor.

"What will happen to me now?"

"I'm sure R.O.G.U.E. will have a nice spot for you in their cells," Tiger snidely remarked, "That's the least of your concerns."

"Wait, wait, Ava," Peter calmly interrupted.

He slowly approached Fisk, who looked up, almost pitifully at the iconic web-slinger. Peter saw the anger and rage burning in the giant's eyes, but he also saw the expression of defeat.

"Please, just make sure my Vanessa is kept safe. She is innocent in all of this."

Peter subtly smirked.

"You know how much of a pain in the ass you were when you owned New York City? You had corrupt cops and politicians in your pocket, you had your own personal army, and you set the largest bounty on my head I'd ever seen on anybody. Yet, I never _once_ hated you. I didn't want to destroy your life, I wanted you to stop hurting people and stealing from them. You were such a bad egg, big boy."

He remained silent. Peter extended his right hand towards him.

"Careful, web-head," Harry warned, "He's got a hell of a punch."

"But, you did do a little bit of good, which shows that you've got _some worth_ to you. Come on, big guy, let's go save the world. Maybe you'll have another Manhattan to take over again, or maybe you'll try to make it better. I don't know, but, you've got to help us at least save it from this crazy guy."

Fisk sighed once more, reaching up and gently grabbing Peter's hand. He pulled himself up to stand, towering over him.

"I better not regret this."

"The feeling's mutual, Fisky."

With the threat adverted, R.O.G.U.E. agents as well as the Wakandan Guard entered the ship and arrested both Chameleon and Kingpin. While T'Challa disagreed with being lenient with Fisk, he deferred to Peter's judgment, and recommended that Fisk be turned over to the Wakandans, where he could directly protect Vanessa and provide a resource to the Wakandans in some way.

Shocker's lifeless body was quickly recovered after landing in someone's home while they never found Beetle's body anywhere.

Upon returning to _**Justice I**_ , Director Hill quickly briefed them in the conference room alongside the Reality Jumpers, Cap, and Tony, who were eager to hear about what happened.

* * *

 _Hours later…_

"So, we've confirmed that H.Y.D.R.A. is no longer in the country?" Hill respectfully inquired.

"Yes, as far as we know now," T'Challa calmly answered, "I have my sister and my most trusted general scouring the city and the outlying areas. We are certain that they've been either captured or killed."

"Eh, I wouldn't be so certain," Steve strongly advised, "This situation just went to prove that we are never really certain who's hiding amongst us. We've got to be careful moving forward."

"At any rate, I still **highly recommend** that we keep Wilson Fisk under lock and key. He's a threat while he's still walking, especially with the hate he harbors for Parker," Hill firmly discussed.

"I think there's hope in him," Peter simply joked, "He's not stupid. If he's smart, he'll work with us. Right now, we _need_ all the allies we can get."

"Damned we've become to turn to enemies for friends," Wolfe darkly murmured, sipping a mug of coffee provided to him.

"We've seen worse," Wren humorously added.

"Still," Selena brought up, "We never saw H.Y.D.R.A. entering the picture. It's a good thing they didn't succeed, Pete. But, the fact that Reaper wanted **you** , specifically… it's not good news."

Both her and Wren exchanged looks the moment she finished speaking.

"What's going to happen to Chameleon?" Luke curiously asked.

"Don't worry, he's not going to see the light of day for a long time," Hill sternly answered, "Not after this shit."

"As much as I disagree with imprisonment, this is a fitting exception," Phantom calmly concurred, "I suggest finding a way to help him when all this is over."

"Are you sure about that?"

"No, Phantom," Ava loudly disagreed, "If he worked with Kraven, he deserves to rot."

"Easy, Ava," Peter quietly said to her.

"She's not wrong," Phantom surprisingly agreed, "In that case, I defer to Hill's judgment in this matter. I only advise that because his skills are hard to come by. If he can be turned, he could prove a valuable ally."

"I'll figure out what to do with him later. For now, in a cell is where he's going to be."

"Good," Ava murmured.

"Oi," Firewalker quickly interrupted, "What about our ship? We gonna get that fixed, right?"

"Seriously, Drake?" Fox scolded him, "We're lucky to be alive and you're worried about that?"

"That ship isn't exactly easy to replace. Boy's got a point," Wolfe backed him up.

"Easy fix," Sam assured them, "The Guardians have tech that'll whip The Eidolon back into shape in no time."

"I'll have my engineers work on their fixes around the clock as well," T'Challa also contributed, "Do not worry."

"Oh, well… then good, I'm good, y'all. Thanks."

Fox rolled her eyes.

"Alright, well, it's back to business as usual, everyone," Hill concluded, "We're still working on the Concordat. It should be done in the next day or so. So, within a few days, we'll have the rest of our assets in Wakanda and ready to mobilize towards Manhattan," Hill concluded.

"Any word on Agent Coulson? Has he recovered?" Danny then calmly raised the concern.

"Actually…"

Just then, the door to the conference room slid open and **Agent Coulson** walked in, with the assistance of a crutch under his left arm. He had suited up in a black suit and tie, his usual professional attire. Peter and the others were visibly happy to see him as he walked in. They got up from their chairs and walked over to him.

"I knew it'd take more than a stupid mutation of Sitwell to kill your old ass, Coulson," Sam warmly joked.

"That's right, Mr. Alexander. Although, I would've been a goner had the Wakandans not stepped in with their medical magic."

They glanced over at T'Challa, who coolly shrugged.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he jested.

* * *

 _A while later…_

Sam called on the Guardians to help restore The Eidolon to full-functionality, so he was gone for the rest of the day trying to help out. Before the end of the day, Specter Haven was notified that most of the damaged hull of the jet was repaired and that the Wakandans would step in to restore and improve on their existing weapon and flight systems.

Danny and Luke met-up with Colleen and Jessica to tell them what had happened and to ask to run a few training simulations with them, since they hadn't had time to train alongside them, with the exception being their fighting in Brazil, which didn't really count.

Harry got caught up talking to Stark back on _**Justice I**_ , where he listed out all the issues he had flying the Iron Patriot suit. He made the necessary adjustments and fixes, and applauded Harry for taking an initiative and using the suit as needed. Mary Jane thought it was somewhat reckless, worrying for his safety, but knew he did it to help Peter, which justified it.

After being briefed, Ava and Peter spent most of the day helping distribute food and water to the refugees in the camps alongside the R.O.G.U.E. attendees trying to help. Afterwards, they took a transport back to the empty apartment at the palace and spent the rest of the evening flipping through Wakandan TV shows, eating popcorn.

Ava tried to figure out what they were saying since she took a course or two on the language, but Peter just kept teasing her for still being a know-it-all. She jokingly scolded him, telling him he didn't pay attention in _any_ of his language classes to have any room to talk.

They ended up finding a cheesy romance film where the protagonist was the advisor to the Black Panther and he had fallen in love with one of the royal spies. The film was mostly about how they kept their love a secret until exposed by another jealous advisor, whom was killed after they fought in a one-on-one duel. Although the film was strange to them, they related on the romance bits of it, and didn't pay attention to the film during those parts, opting to kiss during it.

The rest of the guys came back to the apartment late, finding Ava and Peter sleeping in each other's arms on the couch, with the volume low on the television.


End file.
